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

  • @Aidinthel@reddthat.com
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    04 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.

    • treeOP
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      04 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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        04 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. Unlike a prison sentence, this can be extended to however long is deemed necessary with no maximum duration.

        Let him rot.

        • treeOP
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          04 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
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            04 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”.

  • @ThePac@lemmy.ml
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    04 months ago

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

  • @HowMany@lemmy.ml
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    04 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.

    • 𝕽𝖔𝖔𝖙𝖎𝖊𝖘𝖙
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      04 months ago

      Yeah if he thinks he has it so bad send him over to a prison in the southern US for a bit, bet he’ll be missing his “inhumane treatment” back home

  • queermunist she/her
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    4 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
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        04 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.

          • queermunist she/her
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            4 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. 🙄

      • queermunist she/her
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        04 months ago

        I don’t care that he’s suffering, but the fact that he is suffering still means his lawsuit has standing.

        Also, like I said, if they’re going to leave him in solitary his whole life they should just kill him.

        • ZahzenEclipse
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          04 months ago

          I personally beleive the death penalty shouldn’t exist for people like Brevik. The best case scenario is he suffers for the rest of his days. He can’t be rehabilitated and he shouldn’t be.

          His acts were so evil he deserves to suffer. Laws should change to ensure people like him can suffer.

          • queermunist she/her
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            4 months ago

            The problem is some human has to be responsible for his suffering and that’s bad for us. Even the suffering of animals makes people depressed and suicidal. What would running the torment nexus do to a person?

            EDIT Also, suffering is pointless. I think he should be forced to pay back his crimes to society, not just suffer and/or die.

            • ZahzenEclipse
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              04 months ago

              Suffering isn’t pointless. It makes me and many others feel good if horrible people like Brevik suffer, its justice for the people who suffer everyday due to Breviks crimes. Governments through history have been responsible for a ton of suffering - this is one of those rare instances where it’s fully justified.

              But I’ll admit, wanting revenge isn’t great and you’re right, we shouldn’t setup systems to enact revenge. That being said, some people are so terrible they need to be locked up and separated from society permanently. Since enacting a death penalty is both expensive and takes a very long time if you want to have the proper checks and balances to ensure innocent people aren’t being executed, that tells me life imprisonment is the only option for people that would or should be otherwise executed.

              Maybe he changes his tune in 10 years and becomes a voice against the terrorism he tried to inspire. That could end up with an at least beneficial outcome for society.

      • @Scipitie@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        04 months ago

        That point doesn’t matter in these jurisdictions (i.e. Western European ones I am aware of) . Confinement has two reasons and two only: rehabilitation and protection of the public. Revenge doesn’t have a place there. In my opinion rightfully so because the need for revenge is utterly subjective which laws need to avoid.

        For example: I would see it as appropriate to nail this bastard on a wall by his balls. BUT I’m aware that this is mainly due to the publicity he got. How would I standardize ball nailing? How much would a shoplifter get? 1/4 of a testicle for half a day? And what would be the equivalent to criminals without scrotum?

        But jokes aside: revenge can’t take place via public court. And I’m not informed about civil court mechanics in Norway.

        Bonus: human rights apply to every single human. Each of them. And you can’t lose them. If that’s a good idea I’ll leave to each one to decide.

        • Kuori [she/her]
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          04 months ago

          For example: I would see it as appropriate to nail this bastard on a wall by his balls.

          well at least we can agree on this. and nothing else.

          How would I standardize ball nailing?

          how about “every nazi child killer gets cock crucified and everyone else gets normal person jail”?

          How much would a shoplifter get?

          nothing, shoplifting is cool.

    • @Encode1307@lemm.ee
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      04 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
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        04 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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          04 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
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            04 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
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                4 months ago

                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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                  04 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.

    • @tooLikeTheNope@lemmy.ml
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      04 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
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        04 months ago

        You 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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          4 months ago

          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 it could be 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.

          • queermunist she/her
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            04 months ago

            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)

          • @arc@lemm.ee
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            04 months ago

            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.

    • @arc@lemm.ee
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      04 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.

  • PhobosAnomaly
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    04 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.

    • 420blazeit69 [he/him]
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      04 months ago

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

      I bet they hate this one, too. As a defense attorney this is basically your nightmare: someone who definitely committed a horrific crime and it’s your job to make a frivolous appeal. And if you’re on the other side this is the last case you want to fuck up.

      • SoyViking [he/him]
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        04 months ago

        As a defense attorney this is basically your nightmare

        On the other hand, you get your name mentioned in the media, building upon your reputation as a “star lawyer”. When people suddenly needs a defense attorney, your name will be one of the first they think of. You don’t even have to do a good job because everyone expects your client to be guilty as fuck anyways.

        Taking cases like this is definitely good for business.

    • treeOP
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      04 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

  • @pinkdrunkenelephants@lemmy.cafe
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    04 months ago

    People like him are why Norway’s system is immoral.

    It’s immoral to tell a community they owe something to someone actively trying to destroy it. The community is allowed to put its best interests above threats to it, and that is the only moral mindset.

    The garbage people spew to justify letting Norway harm everyone else by essentially enabling this scumbag is simply immoral, and always has been.

  • @arc@lemm.ee
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    4 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
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      04 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.

    • interolivary
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      04 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)

    • @Zerush@lemmy.ml
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      4 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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        4 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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          04 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.

    • @Dra@lemmy.zip
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      04 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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        04 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.

  • Dolores [love/loves]
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    04 months ago

    yeah okay 12 years of solitary is pretty bad, though amenities are better in norwegian prisons than elsewhere. they should probably put him with other prisoners or release him, he’ll probably get killed pretty quick but if that’s what he wants… shrug-outta-hecks

      • Awoo [she/her]
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        4 months ago

        Being a child killer among other people that have committed murders but still have some principles is usually not good. Not to mention being like THE child killer in Norway not just any child killer.

        I’m British, THE child killer here would’ve been Myra Hindley, would I have killed her in prison? Yes. Yes I would. I’m pretty sure there’s some fairly rough guys in there that would not take kindly to a person that slaughtered 69 kids one by one by one at a fucking summer camp.

        So many good future socialists died that day. I completely guarantee someone kills the fucker if he is mixed in with everyone.

        Not really sure why you think Norwegians are ontologically predisposed to not want to kill child mass murderers tbh.

        • Quaxamilliom [comrade/them]
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          04 months ago

          THE child killer here would’ve been Myra Hindley

          She’s the anti-mother, mommy is that you?

          She’s the anti-mother, mother, mother is that you?

          It’s Myra Hindley on the cover,

          Your very own sweet anti-mother.

          There she is on the pages of The Star,

          Ain’t that just the place you wish you were?

          Let her rot in hell is what you said,

          Let her rot, let her starve, you’d see her dead.

          Let her out but don’t forget to tell you where she is,

          The chance to screw her is a chance you wouldn’t miss.

          Let her suffer, give her pain is the verdict you gave,

          You just can’t wait to piss on her grave.

          You pretend that you’re horrified, make out that you care,

          But really you wish that you had been there.

          You say you can’t bear the thought of what she did,

          But you’d do it to her, you’d see her dead.

          Tell me, what is the difference between her and you?

          You say that you would kill her, well, what else would you do?

          Don’t you see that violence has no end? Isn’t limited by rules?

          Don’t you see as angels preaching you’re nothing but the fools?

          Fools step in, where angels fear to tread,

          You see, to kill others is the ethic of the dead.

          She’s the anti-mother, mommy is that you?

          She’s the anti-mother, mother, mother is that you?

          That single mug shot from the past

          Ensures your fantasy can last and last.

          It gives you the chance to air your hate

          Because she got there first, you were too late.

          Hindleys’ crime was to do what others think,

          Took her anger and her prejudice and pushed it to the brink.

          Then you goodly christian people, with your sickly mask of love,

          Would tear that woman limb from limb, you’d never get enough.

          So you keep the story alive,

          So you can make yourselves believe,

          That you are so much better than her.

          But you aren’t, that’s YOUR GUILT laying there.

          She’s the anti-mother, mommy is that you?

          She’s the anti-mother, mother, mother is that you?

          She’s the anti-mother, mommy is that you?

          She’s the anti-mother, mother, mother is that you?

          Mother? Mother? Mother? Mother? Mother? Mother? Mother? Mother? Mother?

      • 420blazeit69 [he/him]
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        04 months ago

        The death penalty is not abolitionist. If you think they should just kill this guy but are also vaguely in favor of prison abolition, there’s a real contradiction you need to work out.

        • bubbalu [they/them]
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          04 months ago

          I think the callous language used to describe people’s wishes here is incorrect and gross, but I don’t wholly disagree. It doesn’t seem contradictory to envision restorative justice for anti-social violence and repression of our class enemies by any means necessary. What else can class struggle entail? Mao reminds us “revolution is not a dinner party. It is a violent process by which one class overthrows another.” Violence is not to be treated lightly.

          What to do with severely mentally ill but structurely-powerless reactionaries is a difficult edge case. I think relatively humane life imprisonment is the best option.

  • @Zerush@lemmy.ml
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    04 months ago

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