Astri Aas-Hansen (born 16 December 1970) is a Norwegian lawyer and politician for the Labour Party.[1] She has served as the minister of justice since February 2025.
Astri Aas-Hansen | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Aas-Hansen in 2026 | |
| Minister of Justice and Public Security | |
| Assumed office 4 February 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Jonas Gahr Støre |
| Preceded by | Emilie Mehl |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 December 1970 Lillesand, Aust-Agder, Norway |
| Party | Labour |
| University of Oslo | |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Political career
editFrom 1995 to 2002 she worked as an advisor for the Labour Party.
In 2005, when Stoltenberg's Second Cabinet assumed office, she was appointed a political adviser in the Ministry of Justice and the Police. She was promoted to State Secretary in February 2007, and remained there until April 2013.[2]
She joined the Norwegian Parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Committee in 2019 and served as its deputy leader from 2019 to 2021, when she took over as leader.[3][4]
Minister of Justice
editFollowing the Centre Party's withdrawal from government, she was appointed minister of justice and public security on 4 February 2025.[5]
2025
editUpon becoming justice minister, she expressed skepticism and doubt about her predecessor's proposal of allowing the police to search people without cause.[6]
She announced in early March that the government would be aiming to propose a sexual consent law by Easter, fulfilling an objective made in the government's platform. The proposal did however face some criticism by defence attorney Mette Yvonne Larsen, who argued that the law would contribute to issues with evidence and potentially compromising the security of the judicial system.[7] Once the proposal was presented, a draft was subsequently sent to the Storting and was later approved in June.[8]
In October, she announced that the government would be seeking to increase the amount of time the police can keep fifteen to eighteen-year-olds in custody in severe criminal cases. Additionally, she stated that they also would seek to increase the amount of time the police can hold individuals under the age of fifteen in custody and also increase the sentence for carrying weapons in public spaces.[9]
2026
editIn February 2026, she announced that the government would be removing collective protection for Ukrainian men between 18 and 60, with a few exceptions, with the intention for them to follow the regular immigration process and rules when applying for asylum.[10]
The Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs determined in June that Aas-Hansen had misled Parliament on two occasions when responding do questions from member Bent-Joacim Bentzen regarding how much the Norwegian Army had been involved in the writing of a controversial report by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre. Her claims were denied by the Army, the Norwegian Defence University College, the 130 Air Wing and the 330th Squadron. Furthermore, she denied having breached the information obligation when delivering her responses to Bentzen.[11]
Civic career
editFrom 2002 to 2017, she worked as a lawyer. She has also given lectures at the University of Oslo and Nesna University College.
Following her stint in Stoltenberg's second government, she returned to her former job in Advokatfirmaet Elden.[12]
In 2017, she became a district court judge at the Oslo District Court.[13]
Personal life
editReferences
edit- ↑ "Tidligere statssekretær i JD Astri Aas-Hansen (Ap)" (in Norwegian). Government.no. 19 June 2006. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
- ↑ "Jens Stoltenberg's Second Government". Government.no. 15 February 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
- ↑ "Stortinget har valt ny leiar og nye medlemmar til EOS-utvalet" (in Norwegian Nynorsk). EOS-utvalget. 13 June 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ↑ "Hvem er vi?" (in Norwegian Bokmål). EOS-utvalget. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ↑ Skårdalsmo, Kristian; Rønning, Mats; Tomter, Line; Hjetland, Geir Bjarte; Grasmo, Julie (4 February 2025). "Nye statsråder: Stenseng inn i regjering – Skjæran får toppjobb på Stortinget" (in Norwegian Bokmål). NRK. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ↑ Gjerde, Robert; Støyva, Andreas Brattåker; Neegaard, Dan P. (4 February 2025). "Den nye justisministeren vil trolig skrote Mehls visitasjonssone-forslag" (in Norwegian Bokmål). Aftenposten. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ↑ "Legger frem samtykkelov før påske" (in Norwegian Bokmål). NRK. 3 March 2025. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ↑ Gomnæs, Heidi (6 June 2025). "Flertall for samtykkelov: – En enorm seier" (in Norwegian Bokmål). NRK. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ↑ Størksen, Mia (14 October 2025). "Justisministeren vil utvide politiets adgang til å holde barn under 15 år" (in Norwegian Bokmål). Aftenposten. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
- ↑ Hestegrei, Karianne (26 February 2026). "Slutt på kollektiv beskyttelse for ukrainske menn mellom 18 og 60" (in Norwegian Bokmål). TV 2. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
- ↑ Andersen, Frode (5 June 2026). "Gjentar feilaktige påstander overfor Stortinget. Risikerer spørsmål fra kontrollkomiteen" (in Norwegian Bokmål). Altinget. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
- ↑ Rønning, Aina Johnsen. "Aas-Hansen: Utslitt og tilbake til Elden". Advokatbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 6 October 2013.
- ↑ Gangnes, Ole-Martin (4 February 2025). "Astri Aas-Hansen er ny justis- og beredskapsminister" (in Norwegian Bokmål). Juristen. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ↑ Andersen, Elise Rønneveig; Røsvik, Eirik; Díaz, Martha C. S. (19 November 2025). "Justisminister Astri Aas Hansen (Ap) flytter til Lillesand" (in Norwegian Bokmål). Verdens Gang. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
External links
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