When Norwegian news outlet iNyheter reported that former Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland had been hospitalized after a suicide attempt, it was defying a coordinated media blackout. The Norwegian Editors' Association and selected editors had struck a deal with Jagland's attorney, Anders Brosveet, on February 17 to keep the hospitalization out of the press, according to Anadolu Agency. iNyheter published anyway, arguing that the corruption charges and Jagland's public role justified disclosure.
Jagland, 75, is facing gross corruption charges connected to his relationship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Norwegian police raided multiple properties belonging to the former prime minister earlier this month, after the US Justice Department's latest Epstein file release documented an extended relationship between Jagland and the financier. NRK, Norway's public broadcaster, reported that the pedophile had provided Jagland with trips and luxury accommodations.
Jagland served as prime minister, led the Council of Europe as its Secretary General, and chaired the Norwegian Nobel Committee from 2009 to 2015 — a tenure that included awarding the Peace Prize to Barack Obama and the European Union. According to iNyheter, which attributed its report to a "rock-solid source," Jagland's condition remains serious. The treating facility has not been named.
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