Facts Unlawful threats

An unlawful threat is a crime that involves threatening someone about carrying out a criminal act with the purpose of seriously frightening the other person.

Any person who proves guilty to threatening another person about carrying out a criminal act in a way that provokes a serious fear in the other person for his or her, or someone else’s, personal security, property, freedom or peace, shall be sentenced to a fine or imprisonment for at most a year. If the crime is considered gross, the guilty person shall be sentenced to imprisonment for at least nine months and at the most four years. 

In a comment to BrB 4 kap. 5 § b one can read the following: ”An unlawful threat can involve threatening someone with a weapon, or threatening to carry out a  criminal act against someone as long as the threat is seriously meant. Even if the threat is not directly expressed to the threatened person, but to someone in his or her acquaintance, it can be punishable if the information was supposed to reach the victim. The threat can also be mediated by an indirect expression of opinion through the wearing of a badge or certain clothing” (author’s own translation).

It is important to be aware that unlawful threats can occur also online. If the threat is mediated on a digital platform, it could fall under The act on responsibility for electronic bulletin boards (1998:112), which implies that everyone who provides public digital services where people can post content is responsible for monitoring the service and for removing and preventing the proliferation of such content.

Advice Remove pictures, videos, or other sensitive information

Advice Gather digital evidence

Document and save everything that can be used to investigate what has happened.

Guide: Gather digital evidence 

Advice Report offensive posts and comments to administrators

If you read offensive and inappropriate posts or comments on social media, you can always report this to the administrators

Advice Unlawful threats, always report to the police!

If you see or are exposed to this kind of crime, it is important that you get the support and advice that you need. Here is a guide to how you can file a police report.

Advice You are not alone, get support!

Get help from the people around you. You do not have to be alone in this. Cyber hate falls within the responsibility of the employer, school, association or organization.

Support and help.

Good to consider if you are exposed:

If you are exposed to, or see someone else get exposed to unlawful threats, it is important that you get the help you need to process what you have been through. Here is a list of organizations that you can turn to for further help and support.