Norway appeals court verdict on Breivik's human rights complaint

Norway is set to appeal an Oslo district court ruling that the government violated Anders Breivik's human rights when he was put in solitary confinement after having been found guilty of killing 77 people in 2011.

Voice of America quoted Norwegian Justice Minister Anders Anundsen as saying in a statement that he has asked the attorney general to appeal the verdict that said the state violated Breivik's rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Breivik, 37, sued the government last month claiming that his solitary confinement, frequent strip searches and his being handcuffed often when moved between cells are violations of his human rights. On April 20 the court sided with Breivik in handing out a decision contrary to the state's position but said his right to a private life had not been violated.

Judge Helen Andenaes Sekulic said in her ruling that the right not to be subjected to inhuman treatment is a fundamental value in a democratic society which also applies to terrorists and killers, reported BBC News. She further said that Breivik's prison regime deviated significantly from that of other criminals in Norway regardless of the severity of their crime that it has to be considered an extra punishment.

Breivik challenged his 22 to 23 hour confinement in solitary and contact with prison staff only through a thick glass wall.  The right wing extremist was convicted of killing 69 young people at a summer camp for political activists on the island of Utoeya in July 2011 after setting off a car bomb earlier in the day in the Norwegian capital Oslo that killed eight people. 

He is held in a three-cell complex where he can play computer games, watch TV and exercise, reported The Guardian. During the four-day hearing at Skein prison he also complained about the quality of his food and having to eat with plastic utensils. 

The government rejected his complaints saying he was treated humanely despite the gravity of his crime and that he was separated from other inmates only for safety reasons. The judge ruled against the government's assertions and ordered it to pay Breivik's legal costs of 331,000 kroner (£28,000). 

Tags

Norway, extremist, right wing, killings, human rights, Anders Breivik

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