Krekar appeared in an Oslo city court on Wednesday to describe his current life in virtual house arrest. He claimed that he never goes out, with the exception of one hour a week, when he attends Friday prayers at a local mosque.
His complaints will be included in material that will be presented to Norway's highest court, when it considers his appeal of an expulsion ordered by state authorities.
Even though Krekar has been declared a risk to national security in Norway, and hit with the expulsion order, he remains in the country because he likely would face a death sentence back home in northern Iraq. Norway won't deport people to countries where there's a risk of execution.
Despite 16 years in Norway, much of it on welfare, Krekar spoke through an interpreter in the court and not in Norwegian. He said he felt "handicapped" even though he's physically healthy, because he's completely dependent on the help of others.
Krekar, also known as Najmuddin Faraj Ahmad, no longer has work or residence permission in Norway and he receives no welfare assistance. He can't travel outside Norway's borders either, because the Norwegian authorities seized his travel documents, reported newspaper Aftenposten. He was stripped of his voting rights when it emerged last week that he intended to vote in local elections held Monday.
He claimed his family now depends on the earnings of his wife, who works in a day care center in Oslo. He said he is especially concerned about his son, who's in the seventh grade and allegedly bullied at school because of his father.
Krekar's defense attorney, Harald Stabell, said Norway's Supreme Court must evaluate whether there's enough evidence behind the state's expulsion order. His case comes up on October 8.
