I know that the Norwegian Criminal Procedures Code §90 gives a suspect the right to refrain from testifying against themselves.
There's this Norwegian fictional story where a group of friends witness someone they know commit a crime. They are then called by the police to come testify regarding the incident. Since the accused is their friend, they don't want to contribute to him being convicted.
I know that it's illegal to give false testimony in Norway, so to claim the accused didn't commit the crime would clearly be illegal.
But would they have the right to say "I don't wish to comment"? Or simply refuse to show up at the questioning? (Since they themselves were not accused of any crime.)
Is that legal in Norway? If not, what kind of punishment can be given for someone refusing to testify in a case where they themselves are not the accused or a family member of the accused, but rather their friend or something like that? What if the accused is a stranger and they simply don't wish to testify?
Is there any difference in this regard between the right to silence during the initial police investigation and the right to silence during an actual trial in court?
I prefer answers that cite their sources.