Norwegian mass murderer gripes to officials about censorship of his letters and being forced to use 'stab-resistant' pen

Anders Behring Breivik, who is serving a 21-year sentence for killing 77 people in a bombing and shooting rampage last year, has complained that he is being held in inhumane conditions and is being denied freedom of expression, his lawyer has said.

"He has written a long complaint that he is being held in a section with particularly high security," Tord Jordet said. "He is today the only one in this ward and the security regime is the strictest in Norway."

The 33-year-old confessed killer has said the attacks on 22 August 2011 were justified because his victims were traitors for embracing multiculturalism. The court found Breivik sane and handed him a 21-year sentence for terrorism and premeditated murder, that can be extended for as long as he is considered a danger to society.

In his letter to prison officials Breivik protested that the censorship of his letters was so strict that his freedom of expression was being impinged upon, Jordet said.

A Norwegian tabloid, VG, which said it had acquired a copy of the letter, quoted Breivik as saying he was allowed to use only a soft and bendable safety pen described by its manufacturer as "stab-resistant" because it yields at the slightest pressure and cannot be used as a weapon. Breivik was seen making avid notes with it during his 10-week trial at the Oslo district court that ended in August.

He has said he wants to write books in prison but complained that the special pen cramps his hand, describing it as "an almost indescribable manifestation of sadism", VG reported.

Prison officials would not comment on the letter as they were still considering the complaint.

Ellen Bjercke, a spokeswoman for Ila prison where Breivik is being held, said that he was given an electric typewriter on Friday but that it was not connected to his letter of complaint. It was not clear when Breivik's letter was delivered to prison officials.

During his pre-trial detention Breivik was allowed a computer that could not be connected to the internet, but it was taken away from him when he started serving his sentence.

Breivik confessed to setting off a bomb that ripped through Oslo's government district, killing eight people, then opening fire at the summer camp of the governing Labor party's youth wing. Sixty-nine people died in the mayhem at the Utøya island camp outside the Norwegian capital before Breivik surrendered to a Swat team.