Roundup: Norway appeals verdict on mass murderer Breivik's rights violation

The Norwegian government said on Tuesday it had decided to appeal the court verdict that the human rights of convicted mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011, had been violated in prison.

"After hearing the attorney's professional advice, and in consultation with the Correctional Agency, I have today asked the Attorney General to appeal the ruling," Norway's Minister of Justice and Public Security Anders Anundsen was quoted as saying in a statement.

The 37-year-old convict sued the ministry of justice and public security 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 main reason for the appeal is that the state believes Breivik's treatment did not constitute "inhuman or degrading treatment" under article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

In the appeal, the state will argue that it disagrees with both the court's application of the law and evidence evaluation, the statement said.

The Oslo district court ruled in favor of the plaintiff last week on the issue regarding article 3 of the European Convention of 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 read.

At the same time, the court found no violations on the issue about article 8, concerning his "private and family life, his home, and his correspondence."

According to the court's ruling, the Norwegian government also have to pay the plaintiff's legal fees of about 331,000 krones (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 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 the 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.

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