Norwegian court rules mass murderer Breivik's human rights violated

A Norwegian court ruled on Wednesday that the human rights of mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011, have been violated in prison.

"The court decided in favor of the plaintiff on the issue regarding the European Convention of Human Rights, article 3," Oslo district court said in its verdict in the lawsuit in which Breivik sued the Ministry of Justice and Public Security for violating his human rights.

"The prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment represents a fundamental value in a democratic society. This applies no matter what -- also in the treatment of terrorists and killers," the verdict said.

At the same time, the court finds no violations on the issue about the European Convention of Human Rights, article 8, concerning his "private and family life, his home and his correspondence."

According to the court's ruling, the Norwegian government has to pay the plaintiff's legal fees of about 331,000 kroner (41,000 U.S. dollars).

The proceeding of the case was held in a makeshift courtroom, converted from a gym at the Skien prison, about 100 km southwest of Olso, from March 15 to 18.

The 37-year-old convict is suing the government for violating his human rights by exposing him to extreme isolation in prison.

Breivik, who is serving a 21-year sentence, the maximum under Norwegian law, has been living under the highest security without any contact with other inmates and visits have been strictly limited.

His contacts with the outside world have also been severely restricted, with mail being either totally banned or strictly censored.

The Norwegian government has rejected Breivik's complaints, noting that he can move freely among his three cells -- for living, studying and physical training -- with a TV, a computer and a game console. He also has daily access to an exercise yard.

On July 22, 2011, Breivik set off a car bomb that killed eight people outside government headquarters in Oslo and then killed 69 others in a shooting rampage on Utoya Island, where young members of the governing Labor Party had gathered for their annual summer camp.

In 2012, Breivik was sentenced to 21 years in prison at Oslo district court.

Norway's penal code does not have the death penalty or life imprisonment, and the maximum prison term for Breivik's charges is 21 years. However, inmates who are considered a threat to society can be held indefinitely. Endit