Siarhei Yatsynovich, 57, was arrested on July 8th after lobbing two firebombs at a side door of the palace in Oslo, starting a blaze which was quickly extinguished and caused limited damage.
Yatsynovich targeted the palace by mistake, believing it to be the Norwegian parliament, his lawyer said.
“He didn’t want to hurt anyone, it was a cry for help,” his lawyer Marijana Lozic told television channel TV 2 in August.
Yatsynovich has only limited use of his legs and uses a wheelchair.
“He says he is the victim of human rights violations around Europe, and thinks he is not getting the help he is entitled to as a handicapped person,” she said.
Yatsynovich, who says he is unemployed and has no fixed address in Norway, previously lived in the Netherlands after leaving Ukraine where he was a resident.
The Oslo district court sentenced Yatsynovich, who uses an electric wheelchair, on September 17th in a plea deal, according to court documents obtained by AFP on Monday.
“The accused explained that he acted out of desperation — as far as the court understands — in order to draw attention to the injustices to which he believes he has been subjected, in particular when he was staying in a refugee centre in the Netherlands and because he can’t return to Ukraine,” the court ruling read.
“His behaviour is however totally unacceptable in a democratic society and deserves a strong reaction,” it said.
The prosecution had called for an eight-month prison sentence, but the court said his admission of guilt, remorse and health condition were extenuating circumstances and ordered him to spend six months behind bars.
Norwegian immigration services are considering whether to expel him after he serves his sentence, police said.
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