A petition created and signed by supporters of imprisoned Pirate Bay founder Gottfrid Svartholm to improve his living conditions appears to have made a mark. Danish law enforcement officials are now granting Svartholm the ability to enjoy several freedoms, which he was denied access to until recently.

Svartholm now has access to books that he brought with himself to Denmark from Sweden. Svartholm is also now permitted to interact with other inmates, obtain books from the prison’s library, and even have a PlayStation 2 gaming console in his cell.

Svartholm’s handlers initially placed the piracy king in solitary confinement, fearing that he would attempt to communicate with the outside world. This is allegedly the same reason why he denied access to literature, with Danish police concerned that the books could contain hidden messages.

Despite greater freedoms, however, Svartholm doesn’t get to enjoy all of the simple pleasures that life, even prison life, have to offer. Here’s what Svartholm’s mother, Kristina, had to say about her attempts to send her son a copy of The Economist when speaking with TorrentFreak.

“One of the magazines that Gottfrid subscribes to is The Economist. I get his copy at my home address every week, wrapped in plastic, directly from the publishers. According to the police officer in charge, this magazine could contain ‘secret messages’ and he therefore has check it and read it before handing it over.”

Nevertheless, the fact that Svartholm has been removed from solitary confinement is reason enough for supporters of his to celebrate. The petition has 104,968 signatures at the time of this writing. It’ll be interesting to see whether Svartholm will be granted additional freedoms if and when the petition reaches its 200k signature goal.

What do you think? Sound off in the comments below.

Editors' Recommendations