Rettsstaten // The Rule of Law

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Zmekk.no

All countries have laws and regulations that must be followed. However, in some countries the rules do not apply equally to everyone who lives there. Some can be put in prison for no reason, while others can break the law without being punished.

This is not the case in Norway. This is because Norway is a constitutional state. This means that everyone has to follow the same rules and that the courts make sure that those who break the law are punished.

En lesetest om hva en rettsstat er. Teksten er oversatt med tillatelse fra zmekk.no
The courts ensure that those who break the law are punished.

In countries where there is no rule of law, they do not follow the laws in the same manner. There, for example, rich or powerful people can avoid punishment by paying the police or the judge.

If someone breaks the speed limit while driving and is stopped by the police, they can pay the police to avoid being reported. This is called bribery. They may also know the judge at the trial and so, they may try to get a lighter sentence.

A driver tries to bribe an officer

In countries where the rule of law does not exist, the police can also put people in prison without breaking the law. This can be because of someone having different political opinions or a different religion to those that are in power.

Imprisoned for no reason

This is not the case in Norway. Here, everyone gets a fair trial when someone is accused of breaking the law and the police make sure that the law is equally applied to everyone regardless of how much money or power they have.

In Norway, if the Prime Minister drives too fast, he or she will be punished in the same manner as everyone else. That is how it is when living in a state governed by the rule of law.

The law is the same for everyone.


Tasks

  1. Why can it be unsafe to live in a police state?
  2. What kind of relationship do you have with the police in the country you come from?

Ordliste

Rettsstat – En stat hvor loven gjelder likt for alle
Rettssak – En uenighet som blir avgjort av en dommer i en domstol
Politistat – En stat hvor lederne og politiet kan fengsle og straffe hvem de vil
Bestikkelse – Ulovlig betaling til en statlig ansatt for at de skal hjelpe deg

Dictionary

Rule of law – A state where the law equally applies to everyone.
Trial – A disagreement or dispute that is settled by a judge in a court.
Police state – A state where the leaders and the police can imprison and punish whoever they want.
Bribery – Illegal payment to a government employee for your own benefit.

https://zmekk.no/samfunnsfag/lov-og-rett/rettsstaten
https://zmekk.no/samfunnsfag/laererveiledning

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