Aftenposten first reported the lawsuit on Friday evening. 22 July terrorist Anders Behring Breivik submitted a summons to the district court this week to obtain relief in his sentence. The parties will probably meet in court sometime in the spring, according to Aftenposten. – We believe that his human rights have been violated. Isolation has now taken place six more years after those who tried it in court last time and it is a very long continuous period of isolation after the trial ended in 2012. That is what Breivik’s lawyer Øystein Storrvik tells news. – That’s 11 years of isolation, and we believe it goes far beyond the limits allowed by the human rights convention. That is what we want to try in court, says Storrvik. Lawyer Øystein Storrvik in court last year, in connection with Anders Behring Breivik applying for parole. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB Breivik is also requesting parole, which he also did last year, Storrvik confirms to news. – It is a process that has been set in motion independently of this, through the state attorney and correctional services. He has a criminal procedural right, says the lawyer. Sitting in isolation It is the state at the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness that is being sued. Correctional services are under them. The 44-year-old has been in solitary confinement in prison since he received the law’s strictest sentence in 2012. It is the use of solitary confinement that Breivik believes violates human rights. – After so many years of isolation, he is having a very difficult time. And he clearly expresses that too. And there is a slight worsening of the conditions in recent months, which we think is very negative on the basis of the many years of isolation that he has undergone, says Storrvik. The lawyer hopes that this time they will win the case. – It was in many ways a borderline case the last time it was decided, in 2017. And many more years have passed and we have good hope of winning with this now, says Storrvik. Security considerations For its part, the prison believes that isolation is necessary for security reasons, writes Aftenposten. Government lawyer Fredrik Sejersted will also represent the ministry in this court round. – We have not received any summons yet, so I cannot comment further on this. But if it comes, we will process the case in the usual way, says Sejersted to Aftenposten. – In a rule of law like ours, Breivik has the right to have this tried in court again now, and we deal with that in the usual way on behalf of our clients in the Correctional Service, he says. Was moved Breivik was moved to Ringerike prison last year. By then he had served eight years in Telemark prison in Skien. Storrvik says that they then hoped that Breivik would experience better prison conditions. – And it seemed to be suitable for that, and then it has been changed. I can’t go into that further. It is not arranged for regular contact with other prisoners, which we hoped he would start with. Breivik is serving time at Ringerike prison. He was moved there last year from Telemark prison in Skien. Photo: news The lawyer believes that Breivik is now completely cut off from the outside world. – No visitors, telephone, letters, nothing. There is such a tight framework around him that he has no human contact with anyone other than officers. Storrvik believes it has reached a pain point that exceeds the limits of human rights. Not the first time It is not the first time Breivik has sued the state. The Oslo District Court partially agreed with him that the conditions of the sentence violated human rights. The state appealed the decision to the Court of Appeal. In 2017, the Borgarting Court of Appeal concluded that he had not been subjected to human rights violations during his sentence. – Breivik has lost the case completely. The decision has not been questionable, said the judgment from the Borgarting Court of Appeal at the time. In the 55-page judgment, the court emphasized that the strict security measures Breivik is subject to are necessary to safeguard security. He further appealed to the Supreme Court, which rejected the appeal. He then filed the case with the Human Rights Court in Strasbourg. The court dismissed the case. Support group: – Extreme stress Leader Lisbeth Kristine Røyneland in the Support Group on 22 July reacts strongly to the lawsuit. Lisbeth Kristine Røyneland leads the Support Group on 22 July. Photo: Daphne Steketee – I have to honestly admit that this was something that came about a bit suddenly, but it is clear that this is an extreme burden for those affected, says Røyneland to NTB. She believes that it must be avoided that Breivik is allowed to use the judiciary as a pulpit, she tells the agency. Storrvik says it is impossible to avoid drawing attention to the case. – My job is to look after his interests and basic human rights, and it is impossible to do that without drawing attention to it, unfortunately, he says to news.
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Anders Behring Breivik sues the state again – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
