Kai Spurkland has been appointed as the new director of the Norwegian Human Rights Institution (NIM). Spurkland comes from his position as a police prosecutor in the Oslo Police District and as a researcher at the Norwegian Police University College.
– We are very pleased that Kai Spurkland has accepted the position and will lead NIM for the next six years. These are big shoes to fill, but we are confident that Spurkland is the right person for this mandate. He has the experience, professional expertise, and personal qualities necessary to lead a small but important institution like NIM, says NIM’s board chair, Trine Skei Grande.
Spurkland will assume the role on June 1, taking over from Adele Matheson Mestad, who has served as director of NIM since 2019. Mestad will step down when her term ends at the end of March. Until Spurkland begins, assistant director Gro Nystuen will serve as acting director.
The position of director at NIM is a six-year fixed term, and the appointment is made by NIM’s board. There were eight applicants for the position.
Spurkland looks forward to taking on the role:
– I am very pleased to become director of NIM. Since its establishment ten years ago, NIM has become a professionally strong and respected institution in Norwegian public life. As a watchdog, advisor, bridge-builder, and communicator, NIM has contributed to broader and better assessments of human rights issues by the authorities in many important cases. I aim to continue this work.
About Kai Spurkland
Kai Spurkland holds a law degree from the University of Oslo, where he also earned his doctorate in 2020. Since 2004, he has held various positions within the police and, since 2021, has worked as a police prosecutor in the Operational Services Unit of the Oslo Police District, alongside a part-time researcher role at the Police University College. Spurkland also serves as a legal advisor in the police chief’s operational staff (crisis staff) in Oslo and lectures at both the University of Oslo and the Police University College.
He has authored legal textbooks, articles, and other publications on topics such as hate crime, freedom of expression, criminal law, criminal procedure, police law, use of force, infection control, and crisis management.
About NIM
NIM was established by the Norwegian parliament (Stortinget) in May 2015 as an independent public body. NIM’s mandate is to promote and protect human rights in Norway in accordance with the Constitution, the Human Rights Act, international treaties, and other aspects of international law. NIM works on a broad range of human rights issues, from prison conditions, Indigenous rights, climate, freedom of expression, and privacy, to the rights of vulnerable groups.
NIM has about 25 employees, with a main office in Oslo and a branch office in Kautokeino. The institution is led by a board and a director. The current board members are:
- Trine Skei Grande, Chair
- Nils Asbjørn Engstad, Vice Chair
- Aili Keskitalo, Board Member
- Ingvild Bruce, Board Member
- Geir Ulfstein, Board Member