A court in Oslo ruled on Thursday that Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik’s bid to end his isolation in prison has been rejected.
Breivik, who killed 77 people in a bombing and shooting rampage in 2011, sued the state in January, claiming that his prison conditions violated his human rights.
“The Oslo District Court has, after an overall assessment, concluded that Breivik’s sentencing conditions are not a violation of human rights,” the court said in a statement released along with the verdict.
He is currently serving a 21-year sentence, the maximum penalty at the time of his crimes, which can be extended for as long as he is deemed a threat to society.
Following the bombing in Oslo and the shooting on Utoeya island on July 22, 2011, Breivik has been held in isolation.
The court case took place in January at Breivik’s high-security prison, located on the shore of Tyrifjorden lake, where Utoeya also lies.
During the court proceedings, Breivik expressed remorse for his actions and cried as he described his life in prison isolation as a nightmare, stating that he considered suicide daily.
However, a psychologist who co-wrote a new risk assessment about the killer testified the following day that he was not depressed or suicidal and was actually doing “very well”.
“In summary, the court has come to the conclusion that the sentencing conditions cannot be said to be, or to have been, disproportionately burdensome,” the verdict stated.
Breivik’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche in Oslo, editing by Terje Solsvik)
