Norway has not violated the human rights of mass killer Anders Behring Breivik, an appeals court has ruled.

The ruling overturned a 2016 verdict by a lower court that Breivik's near-isolation amounted to "inhuman and degrading treatment" under the European Convention on Human Rights.

The appeals court said that the strict conditions were justified because "there is a high risk that Breivik will resort to violence in the future".

It said the conditions were also necessary for his own safety, as other prisoners might attack him.

Image: Anders Behring Breivik arrives for the appeal hearing in Borgarting Court of Appeal at Telemark prison in Skien, Norway

The 38-year-old neo-Nazi is currently serving a 21-year-prison sentence for massacring 77 people in July 2011.


In the attack Breivik disguised himself as a police officer and gunned down 69 people, mostly teenagers, at a Labour Party youth camp on the island of Utoya.

He had earlier killed eight people in a bombing outside a government building in Oslo.

The right-wing extremist has never expressed remorse for his actions and has repeatedly made a Nazi salute when he appears in court.

Image: Special forces storm Utoya island before Breivik's arrest in 2011

The appeal hearings took place at Skein prison where Breivik is being kept separate from other prisoners in a suite of three rooms, described by Attorney General Fredrik Sejersted as downright "cosy".

The state said it was compensating for the isolation by allowing Breivik extra interaction with guards and a prison visitor.

"No other prisoner can discuss and play games with prison staff for two hours a day," said Sejersted.

During the hearings Breivik said that the isolation has radicalised him and his lawyers argued it was affecting his mental health.

His lawyer says he will now appeal to Norway's Supreme Court about the case.

If that also proves unsuccessful, Breivik can then appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.