Astri Aas-Hansen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Justice and Public Security | |
| Assumed office 4 February 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Jonas Gahr Støre |
| Preceded by | Emilie Mehl |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 December 1970 Lillesand,Aust-Agder,Norway |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | University of Oslo |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Astri Aas-Hansen (born 16 December 1970) is a Norwegian lawyer and politician for the Labour Party. [1] She has served as the minister of justice since February 2025.
From 1995 to 2002 she worked as an advisor for the Labour Party.
In 2005,when Stoltenberg's Second Cabinet assumed office,she was appointed a political adviser in the Ministry of Justice and the Police. She was promoted to State Secretary in February 2007,and remained there until April 2013. [2]
She joined the Norwegian Parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Committee in 2019 and served as its deputy leader from 2019 to 2021,when she took over as leader. [3] [4]
Following the Centre Party's withdrawal from government,she was appointed minister of justice and public security on 4 February 2025. [5]
Upon becoming justice minister,she expressed skepticism and doubt about her predecessor's proposal of allowing the police to search people without cause. [6]
She announced in early March that the government would be aiming to propose a sexual consent law by Easter,fulfilling an objective made in the government's platform. The proposal did however face some criticism by defence attorney Mette Yvonne Larsen,who argued that the law would contribute to issues with evidence and potentially compromising the security of the judicial system. [7] Once the proposal was presented,a draft was subsequently sent to the Storting and was later approved in June. [8]
In October,she announced that the government would be seeking to increase the amount of time the police can keep fifteen to eighteen-year-olds in custody in severe criminal cases. Additionally,she stated that they also would seek to increase the amount of time the police can hold individuals under the age of fifteen in custody and also increase the sentence for carrying weapons in public spaces. [9]
From 2002 to 2017,she worked as a lawyer. She has also given lectures at the University of Oslo and Nesna University College.
Following her stint in Stoltenberg's second government,she returned to her former job in Advokatfirmaet Elden. [10]
In 2017,she became a district court judge at the Oslo District Court. [11]
She hails from Lillesand,and graduated from the University of Oslo with the cand.jur. degree in 1999. Up until November 2025,she had resided in Asker while working in Oslo,before relocating back to her native Lillesand and gave her Asker residence to her son. [12]