A lawsuit launched by far-right fanatic and mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik accusing the state of abusing his human rights has opened in Norway.

Breivik, who killed 77 people in a bombing and shooting rampage in 2011, appeared in a court set up in the high-security jail in which he is serving his sentence on Monday. By accusing Norway’s Ministry of Justice of breaching his human rights, he hopes to force the authorities to end his years in isolation.

The 44-year-old killer’s lawyer laid out an argument that the conditions of his detention violated his human rights.

“He has been isolated for about 12 years,” Oeystein Storrvik told the hearing. “He is only in contact with professionals, not with other inmates.”

In earlier court filings, Storrvik had argued the isolation had left Breivik suicidal and dependent on the anti-depression medication Prozac.

Breivik claims the isolation he has faced since he started serving his prison sentence in 2012 amounts to inhumane punishment under the European Convention on Human Rights. He failed in a similar attempt in 2016 -17, when his appeal was denied by the European Court of Justice.

The extremist, who distributed copies of a manifesto before his attack, is suing the state and also asking the court to lift restrictions on his correspondence with the outside world.

He killed eight people with a car bomb in Oslo then gunned down 69 others, most of them teenagers, at a Labour Party youth camp. It was Norway’s worst peacetime atrocity.

Breivik spends his time in a dedicated section of Ringerike prison, the third prison in which he has been held. His separated section includes a training room, a kitchen, a TV room and a bathroom, pictures from a visit last month by news agency NTB showed.

He is allowed to keep three budgerigars as pets and let them fly freely in the area, NTB reported.

read more: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/8/far-right-mass-killer-breivik-sues-norway-for-human-rights-abuse

  • PhobosAnomaly@feddit.uk
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    10 months ago

    Cool. It is his right to do so.

    Given the fairly decent conditions he’s reported to be living in, and Norway’s efforts to give him every avenue to rehabilitate, I very much doubt this case will get very far.

    As always, the only winners in pointless stuff like this are the solicitors and lawyers.

    • The Snark Urge@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      I feel like the point of the lawsuit is not in good faith necessarily. He is, in a way, showing off. “I committed mass murder in the name of fascism, and my cell is nicer than your flat.” It’s a form of stochastic terror, the way I see it.

      • PhobosAnomaly@feddit.uk
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        10 months ago

        Yeah that’s a fair comment. He’s always taken every opportunity to get back into the news and give himself a platform for spouting his bollocks, but it’s a legal avenue he appears to be entitled to explore so go wild I guess.

        If anything, it just reminds me of what a giant tosser he is every time he makes the headlines.

      • Omega_Haxors@lemmy.ml
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        10 months ago

        To be fair, “my cell is better than your flat” is the result of decades of americans being “it is what it is” sheep rather than slicing some mfers. Whoops, no they do actually slice some mfers… in support of the very people oppressing them. For fuck sake.

      • Syndic@feddit.de
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        10 months ago

        I wouldn’t put it past him. He was very outspoken about how he wants Norway to get a harsher justice system. So him still getting the same rights as every other prisoner is him loosing.

      • Tvkan@feddit.de
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        10 months ago

        He isn’t suing because of the amenities, but because he is being socially isolated. It’s not about the quality of his cell at all.

    • Potatisen@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Why are you being down voted when all these American, single lane thoughts are rising to the top?

      Let him scream and wail all he wants. He’s had chances to change, he didn’t, the court will take that into account. He’s just pursing every avenue available to him. If he ever does change in the future, he’ll be royally fucked because he already screamed wolf.

    • tree@lemmy.zipOP
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      10 months ago

      Yeah he did a Nazi salute before his most recent parole hearing and then was like I’ve learned to be a pacifist Nazi let me go please

  • teamevil@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    Fuck this asshole…he’s living in beautiful conditions because they are attempting to rehabilitate someone who’s not interested…I say we swap him with poor fucks in the US who could be rehabilitated but we won’t try and let him live in some real consequences for the hate he spewed.

  • arc@lemm.ee
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    10 months ago

    Breivik is the sort of murderer, where there is absolutely zero doubt about his guilt, where the crimes themselves are heinous, and where he should never see the outside of a jail cell ever. If Norway had voted to throw him down a mineshaft, or imprison him in a windowless cell where he was fed slops for the rest of his life I couldn’t care less.

    But Norway isn’t like that and he is being treated exceptionally well by any standard for his category of offence. His pathetic narcissistic legal whining to the courts will go nowhere and he’ll stew in prison for as long as they can legally hold him. I think authorities would be relieved if he made good on his threats since it spares them the concern of what happens if he is eventually released.

    • Che Banana@lemmy.ml
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      10 months ago

      It is his form of entertainment & probably feels like this gives him a stage & relevance. Piece of shit should never see the outside of his cell, and all his court appearances should be via cctv.

    • madcaesar@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Hold on, hold on, hold on… Are you telling me this piece of shit isn’t going to spend the rest of his life in prison??? What do you mean for as long as they can hold him??

      • pazzeda@sopuli.xyz
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        10 months ago

        Well, once his life sentence is up, (in Norway it is 21 years), he can be sentenced by a court to an extension of 5 years at a time if they feel it necessary. And I think he will be facing many such extensions.

      • arc@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        Norway has life sentences that mean 21 years. they might hold him indefinitely with extensions while he is a danger to society. But this POS could become enfeebled, or sick, or feign remorse in which case he might get released. I expect his freedom will be very brief and painful however.

    • Syndic@feddit.de
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      10 months ago

      Thanks for that comment. Way to many people hearing this would want Norway to change their justice system to the worse to make the life of one horrible person worse. Luckily Norwegians do understand how good their system is and don’t want to destroy it for such petty reasons like vengeance.

  • Aidinthel@reddthat.com
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    10 months ago

    I’m honestly surprised he’s still alive. I know executions aren’t legal in Norway, but I would have thought that someone would have killed him by now.

    • tree@lemmy.zipOP
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      10 months ago

      He’s alive and he got sentenced 21 years which was the maximum sentence, I’m not familiar with Norwegian law enough, but I assume they will somehow extend it when it expires in the 2030s, don’t see how someone like this could be trusted to not do something else comparable especially since he has basically shown no remorse for his actions.

      from a quora search

      He’s going to be in prison the full 21 years. After this, there will be a parole review, where they can decide to hold him for a further 5 years. After that 5 years, the same thing will happen again and again and again.

      https://www.quora.com/Is-there-any-chance-that-Anders-Breivik-will-ever-be-released

      • neidu2@feddit.nl
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        10 months ago

        Noggie here. He wasn’t sentenced to 21 years in prison (which is, as you state, the maximum prison sentence here), but something that I think best can be translated to “21 years of detention/containment” which is more of a healthcare/psych approach. While this usually involves prison as well, unlike a normal prison sentence, this can be extended to however long is deemed necessary with no maximum duration.

        Let him rot.

        • tree@lemmy.zipOP
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          10 months ago

          I don’t live in Norway it’s not like I could do anything about it anyways, it was quicker to look this up than a legal analysis.

          • Flag@kbin.social
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            10 months ago

            The term used in norway is ‘Forvaring’, which under conditions such as risk of repeating the offense, or inspiring others to do similar things (probs a few others too) means it can get extended. This extension can happen more than once if the risk is dermed to be real, or if they show no/insufficient degrees of rehabilitation.

            So while i cant see the actual future, its extremely unlikely he will walk free, ever. What he’s doing here is, again (as this aint the first time he complained), publicity for his views.

            And the worst part…

            Ultimately he failed in his explicit goal to spark an uprising but in a sense he was successful in other ways. Partially inspiring that dude in NZ (christchurch?) and so on, but domestically his actions did help shift the political landscape to the right, and it was a blow to thenlabour party which they are still reeling from to this day.

            Edit: he had also legally changed his name to “Fjottolf Hansen”.

    • Evotech@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      He’s been in isolation the entire time. Never with the rest of the prison population. And the cameras actually work in Norwegian prisons.

    • Syndic@feddit.de
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      10 months ago

      Luckily Norwegians do understand and respect their justice system better than people like you and don’t want to introduce such a shitty tool of vengeance just for one guy. Especially since that very fucker wanted Norway to get a much harsher justice system in the first place. Them granting him the same rights every other prisoner in Norway has, is winning against his ideology of hatred.

      And the success of their justice system, especially when compared to countries who use death penalty and other punitive measures such as state sanctioned rape, speaks for itself. Many countries could learn a lot from Norway.

  • Zerush@lemmy.ml
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    10 months ago

    They should use this guy for scientific experiments instead of the poor little animals

  • HowMany@lemmy.ml
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    10 months ago

    I’ve seen video of the cell he’s “suffering” in. Mother of god would my existence be that pleasant and well attended.

  • ddh@lemmy.sdf.org
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    10 months ago

    Breivik suicidal because of his conditions and not because he killed 77 people tells you much about the man.

  • ThePac@lemmy.ml
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    10 months ago

    Surgically install a GPS tracker on his body, give the public his whereabouts, and let him go.

    • Zerush@lemmy.ml
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      10 months ago

      All people deserve to be treated according to human rights, although I have doubts about exemplars like Breivic, who is not a conservative, but a fucking nazi killer bastard, who does not deserve to be named as a human, nor to be named as an animal so as not to insult these. I don’t even understand why they give it prominence with this news. It’s okay to be locked up for life, away from people, I hope as the girlfriend of a 2-meter prisoner, that puts his ass off like the exhaust pipe of a truck.

      • Omega_Haxors@lemmy.ml
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        10 months ago

        If your entire ideology is to push fascism and take away other’s human rights you’ve lost the right to have them protect yourself. Things have only gotten so bad because we’ve passively protected these monsters and it’s time we treat them like the threats to society that they are.

        • Zerush@lemmy.ml
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          10 months ago

          It is the misunderstood tolerance, of also tolerating those who want to destroy it. Giving them protagonism as an equal, will end in destruction of a civilized society. Fascism is not a political ideology that can be discussed, it is a system of plain oppression that does not tolerate oppositions, that suppresses using violence, just as this 🤬 Breivic showed, murdering twenty young people in cold blood one after another and killing 70 people with a bomb.

    • interolivary@beehaw.org
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      10 months ago

      They are an existential threat as this point. Not only are they the biggest opposition to climate action, they’re also inevitably going to produce more Breiviks (or Hitlers for that matter)

    • Dra@lemmy.zip
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      10 months ago

      Just a normal, well-adjusted lemmy comment definitely not made by a chronically online person with little to no real life experience…

      Human rights, for murderers, all the way to people who marginally disagree with you politically is the foundation of a civilised society.

      • Omega_Haxors@lemmy.ml
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        10 months ago

        Look at how far “civilized” has gotten us. I would say that the “civilized” world is only for white people, but that’s not even the case anymore.

  • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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    10 months ago

    “He has been isolated for about 12 years,” Oeystein Storrvik told the hearing. “He is only in contact with professionals, not with other inmates.”

    Depending on the extent of the isolation he might actually have a case. Being deprived of human contact is extremely unhealthy.

    Just execute him if he’s going to basically be in solitary for the rest of his life. It’d be more humane.

      • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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        10 months ago

        You don’t get to be sanctimonious about the death penalty and still be okay with what is essentially a form of torture through isolation.

        Either stop torturing him or kill him. Pick one.

        • Tangentism@lemmy.ml
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          10 months ago

          and still be okay with what is essentially a form of torture through isolation.

          He doesnt play well with others. The last he was allowed out, he killed 77 people after shooting and bombing them. He is basically been put on the naughty step and is wailing about it, and as far as naughty steps comparably go, he is living in luxury.

          If not kept in isolation, he will radicalise others because he is entirely unrepentant for what he has done and sees no wrong in it. If we see what he did as wrong then how can we justify killing, no matter how sterile and regulated we make the conditions?

          • RubberDuck@lemmy.world
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            10 months ago

            Plus, there is the chance you where wrong. And there is no undoing the deathpenalty. I’m not saying that letting someone out after 50 years and saying “our bad” is good, but at least you get to say I’m sorry we where wrong. The truth matters.

          • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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            10 months ago

            There must be some way to allow him around other people without allowing him to spread his ideology. For instance, maybe don’t let him be around white people. He doesn’t like isolation? Okay, here you go buddy!

            . If we see what he did as wrong then how can we justify killing, no matter how sterile and regulated we make the conditions?

            You can’t justify endless isolation either. Between two unjustified and inhumane options, at least death is final. He might be isolated for several more decades.

            • Blackmist@feddit.uk
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              10 months ago

              Yeah, I’m sure Omar and Bilal will be absolutely delighted to hear about his ideology.

              • Algaroth@lemmy.world
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                10 months ago

                Even some neo-nazis have condemned him because the majority of his victims where ethnically Norwegian. He just went after them for being “leftist”.

                • Blackmist@feddit.uk
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                  10 months ago

                  Complains there are too many Muslims in Norway.

                  Not actually enough of them in one place to make a massacre worthwhile.

              • Flag@kbin.social
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                10 months ago

                Whats that got to do with the risk of other inmates maybe wanting to kill him for his actions?

          • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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            10 months ago

            Protected from him? He’s a doughboy 😂

            A whole range of professionals in fields like psychology, radicalization, resocialization, reform and prisons were consulted for Guantanamo Bay too. Your appeal to authority isn’t as strong as you think it is. 🙄

        • Lhianna@feddit.de
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          10 months ago

          Yeah, well, maybe he should have thought about that before murdering so many people. I’m quite fine with that kind of torture, in fact, I think he’s living in pretty good conditions.

    • Encode1307@lemm.ee
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      10 months ago

      He’s not isolated, he’s with staff all day long. They talk to him and play Xbox with him.

      • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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        10 months ago

        It doesn’t sound like he’s with staff all day long. Is that really how it is? Cuz yeah, that’s not isolation lol

        • Encode1307@lemm.ee
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          10 months ago

          Yes I’ve met the guy in charge of the staff that are with him. 5 staff that rotate every 6 months.

          • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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            10 months ago

            What do you mean by “with him”? If they’re just watching him through cameras and bringing meals to a door slot that’s still isolation.

              • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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                If true, I don’t think he really has a case. True solitary confinement, like we have in the US, is inhumane torture where you start hallucinating because you don’t see another human being for days at a time (at minimum they kick in after 72 hours iirc)

                If he’s interacting with people, that’s not solitary. That’s just normal loneliness. Plenty of people don’t have friends, it’s sadly normal.

                • Encode1307@lemm.ee
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                  10 months ago

                  I’ve been in a lot of state and federal prisons in the US and I’ve never seen what you describe. The only inmates that are left alone in cells for days at a time are so extraordinarily violent that they can’t be let out without someone getting hurt. Even they have interaction with health and security staff, but it’s through a window.

                  Disciplinary segregation in every prison I’ve been in usually have two people to a cell whenever possible (which results in much lower suicide risk) and they’re let out several hours a day if they’re safe to do so. They can and do talk to people in adjacent cells all day long.

                  It’s still fucking miserable, but it’s not what you think.

                  In Norway, they get much more out of cell time in segregation as long as they’re safe. There are people that are only let out of cell alone, if they’re really violent.

    • Clbull@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Just execute him if he’s going to basically be in solitary for the rest of his life. It’d be more humane.

      The European Convention on Human Rights forbids the death penalty.

    • arc@lemm.ee
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      10 months ago

      Sadly for him he committed his crimes in a country without the death penalty. So he gets everything the state can throw at him for the rest of his life. I still think that a regular life prisoner in a US prison would envy his treatment compared to theirs.

    • tooLikeTheNope@lemmy.ml
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      10 months ago

      Just execute him if he’s going to basically be in solitary for the rest of his life. It’d be more humane.

      No I agree, really, they should let him meet the relatives of the 77 people he killed.

      All of them.

      At once.

      • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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        10 months ago

        Your sadism is noted, but killing people is bad for you. For the relatives sake they probably shouldn’t be allowed to do that lol

        • tooLikeTheNope@lemmy.ml
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          Your sadism is noted

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe's_law

          The point is that as as someone else also pointed out he’s not alone, just there is a difference between the people who he is allowed to meet and those he’d like to meet. That is an integral feature about being jailed as opposed to walking free, and in his case there is a good reason for that.

          Of course I wish he too could be one day reintegrated into the society, and the Norway jail system is mile ahead of most any other country in this, especially the US, but from his requests from the article this doesn’t seems the case yet, at all.

          • arc@lemm.ee
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            I suspect Breivik would have been allowed to meet more people, and increased interactions with other prisoners if he showed any kind of remorse or repentance for his crimes. But since he doesn’t, and uses these lawsuits to advance his cause, it’s no wonder that Norwegian authorities have chosen to limit his interactions to the absolute legal minimum because screw him.

          • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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            No one is talking about letting him free? We’re talking about him allegedly living in isolation for 12 years. That’s fucked up (if true, based on another poster’s first-hand knowledge he is surrounded by staff all the time so it’s not really solitary confinement)