Limeoutsider
1st Level Green Feather
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OSLO, Norway (AP) - A Norwegian newspaper has been convicted of pimping and ordered to pay fines by an Oslo court Wednesday for publishing advertisements from prostitutes.
Prostitution is legal in Norway, while profiting from prostitution by others is illegal. The weekly tabloid SoendagSoendag, which means Sunday Sunday, routinely publishes advertisements which the Oslo district court found clearly offer sexual services for pay.
The court ordered the newspaper to pay a 30,000 kroner ($4,285 US) fine and surrender 300,00 kroner ($42,850 US) in revenues from the advertisements.
In its nine-page ruling, the court said even though some advertising texts were ambiguous, such as "Gentlemen visitors wanted. You won't regret it," pictures of scantily clad women that accompanied most of them left no doubt about the intent.
"After having looked through 210 advertisements in the two editions of SoendagSoendag that were presented to the court, it has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that as good as all the advertisements with text and photos unmistakably offer sexual services in exchange for compensation," the ruling said.
The newspaper's editor said he will appeal.
"There are important questions of principle that have not be clarified in this ruling," editor Nils Olav Fardal Bruteig was quoted as telling the Internet edition of the Bergens Tidende newspaper. "I can't see how I can be held responsible for the contents of advertisements."
I always thought once you bought the ad space, you could put whatever you wanted in the ad
Prostitution is legal in Norway, while profiting from prostitution by others is illegal. The weekly tabloid SoendagSoendag, which means Sunday Sunday, routinely publishes advertisements which the Oslo district court found clearly offer sexual services for pay.
The court ordered the newspaper to pay a 30,000 kroner ($4,285 US) fine and surrender 300,00 kroner ($42,850 US) in revenues from the advertisements.
In its nine-page ruling, the court said even though some advertising texts were ambiguous, such as "Gentlemen visitors wanted. You won't regret it," pictures of scantily clad women that accompanied most of them left no doubt about the intent.
"After having looked through 210 advertisements in the two editions of SoendagSoendag that were presented to the court, it has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that as good as all the advertisements with text and photos unmistakably offer sexual services in exchange for compensation," the ruling said.
The newspaper's editor said he will appeal.
"There are important questions of principle that have not be clarified in this ruling," editor Nils Olav Fardal Bruteig was quoted as telling the Internet edition of the Bergens Tidende newspaper. "I can't see how I can be held responsible for the contents of advertisements."
I always thought once you bought the ad space, you could put whatever you wanted in the ad
