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Breivik wants Norway found guilty of ‘inhuman’ treatment

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Lawyers for mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik called Friday for the Norwegian state to be found guilty of "inhuman" treatment, at the close of his lawsuit over his solitary confinement.

Representatives for the state have insisted that the rightwing extremist, who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011, must be kept in isolation because he is dangerous.

"The plaintiff is not, nor has he ever been, subjected to inhuman treatment," argued Adele Matheson Mestad from the office of the general attorney.

Norway's most infamous inmate is serving a maximum 21-year sentence -- which can be extended if he is still considered dangerous -- for killing eight people in a bombing outside a government building in Oslo and then murdering another 69, mostly teenagers, in a rampage at a Labour Youth camp.

His shooting spree on the island of Utoya lasted over an hour, as he methodically stalked and killed up-and-coming leaders of Labour, Norway's dominant political party, which he blamed for the rise of multiculturalism in the Nordic country.

Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik  surrounded by prison guards  attends his fourth and la...
Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik, surrounded by prison guards, attends his fourth and last day in court in Skien prison, March 18, 2016
Lise Aserud, NTB Scanpix/AFP

He finished off many of his young victims with a bullet to the head.

Since his arrest on the day of the attacks, Breivik has been held apart from other prisoners and his contacts with the outside world, including visits and correspondence, have been strictly controlled.

Stressing his client's almost five years in isolation, Breivik's lawyer Oystein Storrvik accused the state of breaching two clauses of the European Convention on Human Rights prohibiting "inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" and guaranteeing respect for "correspondence".

"The crimes my client was accused of are irrelevant," he told the court.

As expected, the killer used the four-day proceedings as a platform to grandstand his extremist views.

Mass murderer Breivik begins lawsuit
Mass murderer Breivik begins lawsuit
Jonathan STOREY, AFP

After making a Hitler-style salute on the first day, he claimed he was now a Nazi who had renounced violence and even compared himself to Nelson Mandela.

Storrvik told the court his client was "in a vulnerable state of mind," a remark to which Breivik, clad in a dark suit and shaven head, did not react.

"This is not a broken man suffering from problems caused by his isolation that we see, this is the same narcissistic, ideologically disturbed" man convicted in 2012, Mestad countered.

- With or without PlayStation -

While Utoya survivors and families of the dead admitted it was difficult to see the mass murderer complaining about his prison life, they insisted he should be granted the same rights as other inmates, in the name of the law.

Norway prides itself on a humane prison system aimed more at rehabilitation than punishment, and Breivik's conditions are considered comfortable by most.

In Skien prison Breivik has access to three cells -- one for living  one for studying and a third fo...
In Skien prison Breivik has access to three cells -- one for living, one for studying and a third for physical exercise -- as well as a television, a computer without Internet access and a game console
Jonathan Nackstrand, AFP

At the Skien Prison he has three cells, one for living, one for studying and one for physical exercise. He also has a TV with a DVD player, a games console, a computer without Internet access, and books and newspapers, according to authorities.

"It's clear he needs to talk to other people. When you're alone, whether it's in one or three cells, with or without PlayStation and Xbox, your mind rages and your thoughts run in all directions," Storrvik said.

"That's when you might need someone to tell you 'Becoming a Nazi is maybe not so smart, you should forget about that'," he added.

Breivik's complaints ranged from the trivial -- cold coffee and microwaved frozen dinners, which he called "worse than waterboarding" -- to hundreds of strip-searches and headaches which he claims have been caused by his solitary confinement.

Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik makes a Nazi salute as he arrives to a makeshift court ...
Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik makes a Nazi salute as he arrives to a makeshift court in Skien prison's gym on March 15, 2016
Jonathan Nackstrand, AFP/File

Doctors, psychiatrists and prison staff who have examined him in prison testified they had seen no major change in his physical or mental state due to his prison conditions.

Lawyers defending the state argued the strict prison regimen was needed because Breivik was "extremely dangerous".

They also insisted on the need to prevent him from corresponding with supporters. "There could be a new Breivik among them," Mestad said.

The verdict is due in late April or early May.

Lawyers for mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik called Friday for the Norwegian state to be found guilty of “inhuman” treatment, at the close of his lawsuit over his solitary confinement.

Representatives for the state have insisted that the rightwing extremist, who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011, must be kept in isolation because he is dangerous.

“The plaintiff is not, nor has he ever been, subjected to inhuman treatment,” argued Adele Matheson Mestad from the office of the general attorney.

Norway’s most infamous inmate is serving a maximum 21-year sentence — which can be extended if he is still considered dangerous — for killing eight people in a bombing outside a government building in Oslo and then murdering another 69, mostly teenagers, in a rampage at a Labour Youth camp.

His shooting spree on the island of Utoya lasted over an hour, as he methodically stalked and killed up-and-coming leaders of Labour, Norway’s dominant political party, which he blamed for the rise of multiculturalism in the Nordic country.

Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik  surrounded by prison guards  attends his fourth and la...

Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik, surrounded by prison guards, attends his fourth and last day in court in Skien prison, March 18, 2016
Lise Aserud, NTB Scanpix/AFP

He finished off many of his young victims with a bullet to the head.

Since his arrest on the day of the attacks, Breivik has been held apart from other prisoners and his contacts with the outside world, including visits and correspondence, have been strictly controlled.

Stressing his client’s almost five years in isolation, Breivik’s lawyer Oystein Storrvik accused the state of breaching two clauses of the European Convention on Human Rights prohibiting “inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” and guaranteeing respect for “correspondence”.

“The crimes my client was accused of are irrelevant,” he told the court.

As expected, the killer used the four-day proceedings as a platform to grandstand his extremist views.

Mass murderer Breivik begins lawsuit

Mass murderer Breivik begins lawsuit
Jonathan STOREY, AFP

After making a Hitler-style salute on the first day, he claimed he was now a Nazi who had renounced violence and even compared himself to Nelson Mandela.

Storrvik told the court his client was “in a vulnerable state of mind,” a remark to which Breivik, clad in a dark suit and shaven head, did not react.

“This is not a broken man suffering from problems caused by his isolation that we see, this is the same narcissistic, ideologically disturbed” man convicted in 2012, Mestad countered.

– With or without PlayStation –

While Utoya survivors and families of the dead admitted it was difficult to see the mass murderer complaining about his prison life, they insisted he should be granted the same rights as other inmates, in the name of the law.

Norway prides itself on a humane prison system aimed more at rehabilitation than punishment, and Breivik’s conditions are considered comfortable by most.

In Skien prison Breivik has access to three cells -- one for living  one for studying and a third fo...

In Skien prison Breivik has access to three cells — one for living, one for studying and a third for physical exercise — as well as a television, a computer without Internet access and a game console
Jonathan Nackstrand, AFP

At the Skien Prison he has three cells, one for living, one for studying and one for physical exercise. He also has a TV with a DVD player, a games console, a computer without Internet access, and books and newspapers, according to authorities.

“It’s clear he needs to talk to other people. When you’re alone, whether it’s in one or three cells, with or without PlayStation and Xbox, your mind rages and your thoughts run in all directions,” Storrvik said.

“That’s when you might need someone to tell you ‘Becoming a Nazi is maybe not so smart, you should forget about that’,” he added.

Breivik’s complaints ranged from the trivial — cold coffee and microwaved frozen dinners, which he called “worse than waterboarding” — to hundreds of strip-searches and headaches which he claims have been caused by his solitary confinement.

Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik makes a Nazi salute as he arrives to a makeshift court ...

Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik makes a Nazi salute as he arrives to a makeshift court in Skien prison's gym on March 15, 2016
Jonathan Nackstrand, AFP/File

Doctors, psychiatrists and prison staff who have examined him in prison testified they had seen no major change in his physical or mental state due to his prison conditions.

Lawyers defending the state argued the strict prison regimen was needed because Breivik was “extremely dangerous”.

They also insisted on the need to prevent him from corresponding with supporters. “There could be a new Breivik among them,” Mestad said.

The verdict is due in late April or early May.

AFP
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With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

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