Anders Behring Breivik, the notorious Norwegian mass killer, has filed a lawsuit against the state, claiming that his human rights have been violated due to his lengthy isolation in prison. Currently serving a 21-year sentence for the shocking murders of 77 people in 2011, Breivik has also submitted a new application for parole. As his lawyer explained, Breivik believes that his 11 years of extreme isolation, without any human contact except for his guards, has been unjust.
Breivik, a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi, carried out a series of shootings and a bombing attack in Norway, resulting in the deaths of numerous teenagers and making it the country’s worst peacetime atrocity. Now 44 years old, Breivik’s sentence could potentially be extended if he continues to be seen as a threat to society.
Addressing the issue, Breivik’s lawyer, Oeystein Storrvik, stated that his client filed the lawsuit due to the extreme isolation he has endured for over a decade. Storrvik expressed hope that Breivik’s transfer to a new prison last year would offer better conditions and the opportunity to interact with other inmates. The case was first reported by the Norwegian daily, Aftenposten.
This is not the first time Breivik has sought legal action in relation to his confinement. In 2017, an appeals court overturned a lower court’s ruling that his near-isolation in a three-room cell was inhumane. Furthermore, last year, a Norwegian court denied his application for parole, citing concerns about his potential for future violence.
Storrvik anticipates that the case will be heard by the Oslo district court sometime next year. The outcome of this lawsuit could have significant implications for the conditions and treatment of high-profile prisoners like Breivik in Norway’s correctional system.
