Ögmundur Jónasson

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is a patronymic, not a family name; this person is properly referred to by the given name Ögmundur.

Ögmundur Jónasson

Minister of the Interior
In office 1 January 2011 – 2013
Prime Minister	Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir
Preceded by	Office created
Succeeded by	Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir
Minister of Health
In office 1 February 2009 – 30 September 2009
Prime Minister	Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir
Preceded by	Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson
Succeeded by	Álfheiður Ingadóttir
Personal details
Born	(1948-07-17) 17 July 1948 Reykjavík, Iceland
Political party	Left-Green Movement
Spouse(s)	Valgerður Andrésdóttir
Children	Three children (b. 1974, 1979, 1981)
Alma mater	University of Edinburgh

Ögmundur Jónasson (born 17 July 1948)^[1] is an Icelandic politician who has served as a member of Althingi, the Icelandic Parliament, since 1995. He is currently the Chairman of the Parliament’s Constitutional and Supervisory Committee and is a representative to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.^[2] He is the former Minister of the Interior (2011-2013); Minister of Justice and Human Rights and Minister of Transport, Communications and Local Government (2010-2011); and Minister of Health and Social Security (2009).

Apart from his political career, Ögmundur Jónasson has been a journalist and a trade union leader. He has been active in various grass-root activities, a prolific commentator and public speaker. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh with degrees in History and Political Science and was for a number of years a part-time Lecturer at the University of Iceland. When he entered Parliament, he first represented the People's Alliance and Non-Aligned and later the Left-Green Movement. He was a radio broadcaster and TV reporter at RÚV, the Icelandic Public Broadcasting Service (1978-1988) and the Chairman of BSRB, the Confederation of State and Municipal Employees of Iceland (1988-2009). He has served on several international trade union boards, such as the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), Public Services International (PSI), the Council of Nordic Trade Unions (NFS) and the Council of Nordic Municipal Employees (NTR).

Ögmundur Jónasson became Iceland's Minister of Health in February 2009, but resigned at the end of September in connection with the Icesave dispute.^[3] He returned to the government in September 2010 and from January 2011 he headed the newly created Ministry of the Interior and stayed as minister until a new government came to power in 2013.^[4]

Ögmundur Jónasson has been outspoken on foreign policy issues. He is critical of Iceland's NATO membership ^[5] and a strong supporter of human rights and national minority rights.^[6] He has gained international attention in connection with three issues. First, he proposed measures designed to protect children from the harms of violent pornography as part of his broader support for human rights and women’s rights.^[7] It was a step criticized by some free speech activists,^[8] but welcomed by human rights advocates and feminists.^[9] Second, his decision in 2011 to reject a plan by a Chinese business tycoon, Mr. Huang Nubo, to purchase a huge tract of land in the North East of Iceland attracted much geopolitical and media attention. It raised suspicions that the plan was part of Chinese efforts to gain a strategic foothold in Iceland.^[10] Third, Ögmundur Jónasson refused all cooperation with FBI agents who had come to Iceland in 2011 to question Sigurdur Thordarson—on the pretext of investigating an impending hacking attack on Icelandic government computers—and directed them to leave the country because he believed that they were, in fact, engaged in a broader swoop to gather intelligence on WikiLeaks and in trying to frame its founder Julian Assange.^[11]

References

Political offices
Preceded by Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson	Minister of Health February – September 2009	Succeeded by Álfheiður Ingadóttir

Members of the Althing

Northeast Constituency	Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson Kristján Þór Júlíusson Höskuldur Þór Þórhallsson Steingrímur J. Sigfússon Líneik Anna Sævarsdóttir Valgerður Gunnarsdóttir Kristján L. Möller Þórunn Egilsdóttir Bjarkey Gunnarsdóttir Brynhildur Pétursdóttir

Northwest Constituency	Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson Einar K. Guðfinnsson Ásmundur Einar Daðason Haraldur Benediktsson Ólína Þorvarðardóttir Elsa Lára Arnardóttir Jóhanna María Sigmundsdóttir Lilja Rafney Magnúsdóttir

Reykjavik Constituency North	Illugi Gunnarsson Frosti Sigurjónsson Katrín Jakobsdóttir Össur Skarphéðinsson Brynjar Þór Níelsson Björt Ólafsdóttir Sigrún Magnúsdóttir Steinunn Þóra Árnadóttir Birgir Ármannsson Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson Valgerður Bjarnadóttir

Reykjavik Constituency South	Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir Vigdís Hauksdóttir Sigríður Ingibjörg Ingadóttir Pétur H. Blöndal Svandís Svavarsdóttir Róbert Marshall Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson Karl Garðarsson Ásta Helgadóttir Helgi Hjörvar Óttarr Proppé

South Constituency	Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson Ragnheiður Elín Árnadóttir Silja Dögg Gunnarsdóttir Unnur Brá Konráðsdóttir Páll Jóhann Pálsson Oddný G. Harðardóttir Ásmundur Friðriksson Haraldur Einarsson Vilhjálmur Árnason

Southwest Constituency	Bjarni Benediktsson Ragnheiður Ríkharðsdóttir Árni Páll Árnason Willum Þór Þórsson Jón Gunnarsson Guðmundur Steingrímsson Ögmundur Jónasson Vilhjálmur Bjarnason Þorsteinn B. Sæmundsson Katrín Júlíusdóttir Birgitta Jónsdóttir Elín Hirst

First cabinet of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir

Ministers	Ásta Ragnheiður Jóhannesdóttir Gylfi Magnússon Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir Katrín Jakobsdóttir Kolbrún Halldórsdóttir Kristján L. Möller Ögmundur Jónasson Össur Skarphéðinsson Ragna Árnadóttir Steingrímur J. Sigfússon

Second cabinet of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir

Ministers	Álfheiður Ingadóttir Árni Páll Árnason Guðbjartur Hannesson Gylfi Magnússon Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir Jón Bjarnason Katrín Jakobsdóttir Katrín Júlíusdóttir Kristján L. Möller Oddný Guðbjörg Harðardóttir Ögmundur Jónasson Össur Skarphéðinsson Ragna Árnadóttir Steingrímur J. Sigfússon Svandís Svavarsdóttir

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