Norway's Nazi Justice Minister Who Claimed Madness: Sverre Riisnæs
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When Nazi Germany invaded Norway in April 1940, collaborationist leader Vidkun Quisling became the public face of the occupation. Yet behind the scenes, another man wielded enormous power. Sverre Riisnæs transformed Norway's legal system into a tool of Nazi rule, helped facilitate the deportation of more than 700 Norwegian Jews, and personally took part in reprisal executions during the final months of the Second World War.
Born in 1897, Riisnæs began his career as a respected lawyer and prosecutor before embracing fascism following the German occupation. As Minister of Justice in the Quisling regime, he aligned Norwegian law with Nazi ideology, persecuted political opponents, supported the Germanic SS, and played a key role in dismantling Norway's democracy. His increasingly erratic behavior, paranoia, and heavy drinking raised questions about his mental state, culminating in a dramatic postwar battle over whether he was genuinely insane or merely pretending to avoid justice.
Explore the life, crimes, and controversial fate of one of Norway's most notorious Nazi collaborators.
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