Man Who Killed 77 Now Sues Norway For 'Human Rights Violation': Report

Mass killer Anders Behring Breivik sued Norway court for human rights violation in an attempt to end prison isolation.

Mass killer Anders Behring Breivik being escorted by prison guards at the court room in Skien prison, Norway in 2016.

Source : Reuters

Anders Behring Breivik, a 44-year-old mass killer from Norway who killed 77 people in a shooting and bomb rampage back in 2011, has asked a Norwegian court to end his isolation in prison as it violates his human rights, according to a report by Reuters.

Breivik reportedly sent out copies of a manifesto before his planned attacks to explain his theories. He will also be suing the state to get permission to correspond with the outside world and ease the restrictions on the same, wrote Reuters.

Breivik carried out an attack at a Labour Party youth camp in Oslo, Norway, in which he killed eight people with a car bomb and further gunned down 69 others. The victims were mostly teenagers, and this incident till now is known for being Norway's worst peacetime atrocity, as per Reuters.

This horrific case has been a miserable test for Norway, a country that was shook to its core by Breivik's deadly acts but has also been proud of the rehabilitation of its justice system. He currently spends most of his time in Ringerike's high-security prison, located 70 kilometres northwest of Oslo, reported Reuters.

As per the Reuter's report based on news agency NTB's visit to the prison last month, his dedicated area has a bathroom, a TV room, and a kitchen. He is also allowed to keep three budgerigars as pets, who fly freely around the area.

While filing the petition in the Oslo district court, Breivik's lawyer, Oeystein Storrvik, said that the decade-long isolation "without meaningful interaction" has gravely impacted him, as reported by Reuters.

Storrvil further added that,"He is now suicidal" and "dependent on the depression medicine Prozac to get through the days in prison."

The justice ministry's lawyers, however, argued that Breivik must be kept away from the rest of the prisoners due to the continued security threat he poses. Calling his isolation "relative" the lawyers in their court filing also informed the court that he sees two inmates for an hour every week. He even has contacts with health professionals, prison guards, a priest, and an outside volunteer whom Breivik doesn't wish to see anymore, according to Reuters.

Breivik is currently serving a 21-year sentence, which is the longest any Norwegian court can impose for his offence, subject to extension if he is deemed a threat to the society.

As per Reuters,  he sued the state in 2016 on the basis of the violation of the European Convention on Human Rights under the sections that said that no one should be subjected to "torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." Though he won the case earlier, but it was overturned a year later before any restrictions were eased.

The hearing will be held today at the prison's gymnasium at Tyrifjorden Lake, on the island of Utoeya, where Breivik's shooting site is situated.