Norway’s ‘Iron Ellen’ opens up about being accused in a criminal case

Ellen Holager Andenæs, Norway’s first female public prosecutor and a veteran defence lawyer, has revealed the discomfort of being investigated in a criminal case, describing how easily public perception can distort reality, Dagbladet reports.

“It’s frightening how easy it is to create an image of a person—and how often it’s wrong,” the 78-year-old told the newspaper in a rare interview at Oslo’s Hotel Bristol. Known for her tough demeanour, Andenæs reflected on decades of media scrutiny, where she has been portrayed almost exclusively in negative contexts. “You’re never in the media when something nice happens.”

The interview marks a shift for Andenæs, who previously declined all requests during the high-profile trial of Marius Borg Høiby, the 29-year-old she defended alongside her colleague and son-in-law, Petar Sekulic. She called media attention during an ongoing trial “tasteless” but now speaks openly about the strain of the seven-week proceedings.

“Petar carried the bulk of the workload,” she said. “Every weekend, he wrote procedures covering the week’s events. It was almost inhuman. Even he, in his prime, was exhausted. I sometimes wondered if I’d blow a fuse.” When asked whose, she replied: “Mine. If his had gone, I’d have been out driving.”

Andenæs, nicknamed “Iron Ellen” for her uncompromising style, described the case as uniquely challenging. “This was a client who wasn’t easy to help. As he explained himself, he was ill throughout the trial. But we got through seven weeks without major disasters.” A verdict is expected in June.

Her career spans groundbreaking roles: Norway’s first female chief public prosecutor, head of Oslo’s public order and criminal divisions, surveillance service chief, and district court judge. Yet she rejects the idea of being a feminist icon. “I’ve never thought about career—never. I just did the job as well as I could. Suddenly, you’re pushed forward.”

On gender dynamics in her male-dominated field, she was unfazed. “Men are easy to work with. Back then, it was all men, and there was nothing but tailwind. Just behave decently—don’t be whiny or nasty.” She distanced herself from the #MeToo movement, calling its concerns “distant” to her experience. “If you don’t like something, it’s not hard to speak up. And if the approach is fine, then what’s the problem? Maybe that’s a primitive view.”

Asked if anyone had ever overstepped with her, she laughed: “If I disliked them, they’d have heard about it.”