Mass murderer suing state for repeatedly being held in solitary confinement, which he argues is a violation of his human rights

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik’s court case against the Norwegian state over his prison conditions, which he likens to torture, will take place in the jail where he is being held, a court has ruled.

Breivik killed 77 people in a bombing and shooting assault in 2011 because he was opposed to Norway’s multiculturalism.

He has complained repeatedly about being held in isolation, which he argues is a violation of his human rights.

His court case had previously been scheduled to take place from 15 to 18 March, but the question of where the case would be heard had yet to be determined, given the security problems posed by moving Breivik from the prison.

The state had proposed holding the trial in prison, and Breivik’s lawyer agreed to the idea.

“Practical considerations and security issues justify that the case be heard at the Skien prison [about 62 miles south-west of Oslo],” the Oslo district court ruled on Monday.

The prison conditions could be more closely studied on site, it added.

On 22 July 2011, Breivik killed eight people in a bomb attack outside a government building in Olso and later murdered 69 people, most of them teenagers, when he opened fire at a Labour Youth camp on the island of Utøya.

Breivik, 36, was handed a 21-year prison sentence in August 2012, which can be extended if he is still considered a danger to society.

In a report published in November, Norway’s parliamentary ombudsman said Breivik’s solitary confinement risks turning into “inhumane treatment”.