Norway’s parliamentary ombudsman has visited the prison in which political mass killer Anders Breivik has been locked up since 2012, and reported Wednesday that the conditions of the prison could represent inhumane treatment as alleged by Breivik in his lawsuit against the Norwegian State.
Breivik has brought suit against his country for what he says are violations of his human rights as guaranteed under the European Convention of Human Rights — specifically the articles dealing with torture, infringements of private and family life, correspondence, and the right to marry.
Ombudsman Aage Thor Falkanger presented his report of the prison:
“The regimen in the very high security unit imposes very strict conditions on inmates’ freedom of movement and their possibility to have contact with other people.
“This, and the fact that in reality there is an extremely limited number of inmates in the very high security unit, means that this regimen represents an elevated risk of inhumane treatment,” Falkanger reported.
The ombudsman made several recommendations to reduce the risks of inhumane treatment, including more interaction with guards and inmates and a review of handcuff use.
In 2012, Breivik was convicted in the 2011 killings of 77 people — mostly family members of a political party with which Breivik was aggrieved due to their immigration policies. Breivik prepared for his attack far in advance and wrote a 1,518 manifesto detailing his history and beliefs, as well as his motivation.