Free French and Moland!

Agderposten (a local newspaper) has in a commentary to my post on “Freefrenchandmoland.com” asked VG and SKUP, who gave them this award to comment on my allegations. Thor Woie in SKUP says he got enough information in the method report? What is this nonsense? Have they really not investigated what’s really been going on? Can they be amateurs to that extend? There are people who have been involved in this case who could’ve deserved a SKUP award. Most people knows who that is, and it’s not Nilas Johnsen & co.

I will present some facts, and whoever wants to can object to them:

1. The boys’ belongings were in a locked cabinet in John Hunwick’s resort.
2. The lock was busted open and everything in it was removed.  
3. They found a hunting rifle, legally imported to Uganda. (Tjostolv came to Uganda by plane, and everybody knows that there is no way to smuggle a rifle on a plane even in Africa.)
4. They found videos and a video camera.  
5. They found UN berets and wooden play-guns. 
6. Nothing that has been found is contraband, or any kind of evidence for any crime being committed.  
7. A lot of private belongings are missing, among others an expensive Zeiss binocular, presumed stolen. 
8. Their computer was confiscated by the police. 
9. There is nothing criminal found on the computer. 
10. Lawyer Furuholmen interviewed all three of the participants in the training video. They were all there voluntarily. The training is not a criminal offence. 
11. Their company was legally registered, and they had permits to run a security company in Uganda. They were apparently lacking one document, but they hadn’t started any assignments in Uganda yet.

With these facts Nilas Johnsens “revelations” are starting to get fairly pathetic.

The police in Kampala have apparently sent the video to the police in Norway. We haven’t heard any more about that. I’m 100% sure that the police in Norway haven’t given the tapes to Nilas Johnsen & co.

Who “gave” it to him, Hunwick or the police I don’t know. What I do know is that the police in Uganda, much like the police in Congo don’t give anything away for free. Only naive people believe that. Nilas also “got” the contents of the computer from the police. VG took it upon them to publish not forwarded letters and memorandum. 

My question is: Is this OK journalism, and is it worth a SKUP award?  

VG won’t reveal their sources regarding who provided them with the recordings! I can understand why Norwegian newspapers do that, to protect their sources etc. In this case however I think they protect Nilas. I think that is 100% fraudulent. 

1. Stolen goods have been published, he has received stolen goods. As far as I can understand it it’s a crime to knowingly receive and publish stolen materials.
2. There is used coarse bribe, which is in violation of Norwegian law.
3. There is something called intellectual property law and copyright. Is it legal to publish other people’s photographs and videos without permission?

If VG disagrees I suggest that they make it public who they got the recordings from, and publish Nilas & co’s travel bill for this trip. If they don’t want to do that, the most has been said, really. 

Knut Moland, March 29^th 2010