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Norwegian far-right domestic terrorist (born 1979) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fjotolf Hansen[4] (born 13 February 1979), better known by his birth name Anders Behring Breivik (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈɑ̂nːəʂ ˈbêːrɪŋ ˈbræ̂ɪviːk] ),[5] is a Norwegian neo-Nazi[12] terrorist.[13] He carried out the 22 July 2011 Norway attacks in which he killed eight people by detonating a van bomb at Regjeringskvartalet in Oslo, and then killed 69 participants of a Workers' Youth League (AUF) summer camp, in a mass shooting on the island of Utøya.[14][15]
Anders Behring Breivik Fjotolf Hansen | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Born | Anders Behring Breivik 13 February 1979 Oslo, Norway |
| Other names |
|
| Political party | Progress Party (1999–2006) |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated |
| Conviction(s) |
|
| Trial | Trial of Anders Behring Breivik |
| Criminal penalty | 21 years' preventive detention |
| Details | |
| Date | 22 July 2011 Oslo: 15:25 CEST Utøya: 17:22–18:34 CEST[1][2] |
| Location(s) | Oslo and Utøya, Norway |
| Target(s) | Norwegian Labour Party members and teenagers |
| Killed | 77 (8 in Oslo, 69 on Utøya) |
| Injured | 319[3] |
| Weapons | ANFO car bomb Ruger Mini-14 rifle Glock 34 pistol |
| Imprisoned at | Ringerike Prison |
After Breivik was found psychologically competent to stand trial, his criminal trial was held in 2012.[16] That year, Breivik was found guilty of mass murder, causing a fatal explosion, and terrorism.[17][18] Breivik was sentenced to the maximum civilian criminal penalty in Norway, which is 21 years' imprisonment through preventive detention, allowing the possibility of one or more extensions for as long as he is deemed a danger to society.[19]
At the age of 16 in 1995, Breivik was arrested for spraying graffiti on walls.[20][21] He was not chosen for conscription into the Norwegian Armed Forces. At the age of 20, he joined the anti-immigration Progress Party, and chaired the local Vest Oslo branch of the party's youth organization in 2002. He joined a gun club in 2005.[22] He left the Progress Party in 2006. A company he founded was later declared bankrupt.[23] He had no declared income in 2009 and his assets were 390,000 kroner (equivalent to $72,063),[24] according to Norwegian tax authority figures.[25] He financed the terror attacks with a total of €130,000;[25] nine credit cards gave him access to credit.[26]
On the day of the attacks, Breivik emailed a compendium of texts entitled "2083: A European Declaration of Independence", describing his militant ideology.[27][28][29][30] In them, he stated his opposition to Islam and blamed feminism for a European "cultural suicide."[31][32] The text called for the deportation of all Muslims from Europe,[33][34] and Breivik wrote that his main motive for the attacks was to publicize his manifesto.[35] Two teams of court-appointed forensic psychiatrists examined Breivik before his trial. The first team diagnosed Breivik with paranoid schizophrenia,[36] but after this initial finding was criticized,[37] a second evaluation concluded that he was not psychotic during the attacks but did have narcissistic personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder.[38][39]
In 2016, Breivik won a partial victory in a lower court;[40] however, the case was lost on appeal in a higher court. Other than that, Breivik has repeatedly but unsuccessfully sued the Norwegian Correctional Service and appealed to the European Convention on Human Rights over solitary confinement and refusal of parole, which Breivik claims violated his human rights.
In November 2024, there will be a trial regarding[41] the possibility of being paroled. In the following December, there will be a trial in a court of appeals;[41] Breivik is suing the Government of Norway for violating his human rights by keeping him in prison isolation.[42][43][44]
Breivik was born in Oslo on 13 February 1979,[45][46] the son of Jens David Breivik (born 1935), a civil economist, who worked as a diplomat for the Norwegian Embassy in London and later in Paris, and Wenche Elisabeth Behring (1946–2013), a nursing assistant. He has a maternal half-sister named Elisabeth, and three paternal half-siblings: Erik, Jan, and Nina.[47] Breivik began his life in London until the age of one, when his parents divorced. His family name is Breivik, while Behring, his mother's maiden name, is his middle name and not part of the family name. In 2017, it was reported he had changed his legal name to Fjotolf Hansen.[48]
When Breivik was aged four, and living in Oslo's Frogner borough, two reports were filed expressing concern about his mental health.[49] A psychologist in one report made a note of the boy's peculiar smile, suggesting it was not anchored in his emotions but was rather a deliberate response to his environment.[50] In another report from Norway's National Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (SSBU), concerns were raised about how Breivik was treated by his mother: "[s]he 'sexualised' the young Breivik, hit him, and frequently told him that she wished that he were dead."
In the report, Wenche Behring is described as "a woman with an extremely difficult upbringing, borderline personality disorder and an all-encompassing if only partially visible depression" who "projects her primitive aggressive and sexual fantasies onto him [Breivik]".[51] The report recommended he be forcibly removed from his mother and placed into foster care, as she was heavily emotionally and psychologically abusive towards him, but this was not carried out by the Child Welfare Service.[52][53]
Breivik's mother had fled her abusive home at age 17 and soon after that became a teenage mother. In her thirties, she became pregnant with Anders and married his father, Jens Breivik. During her pregnancy, she moved to London, where Jens worked.[53] Even before his birth, Breivik's mother developed a disdain for her son. She claimed that he was a "nasty child" and that he was "kicking her on purpose". She had wanted to abort him but by the time she went to a hospital, she had passed the three-month threshold for an abortion. Psychologist reports later stated that she thought that Breivik was a "fundamentally nasty and evil child and determined to destroy her." She stopped breastfeeding her son early on because he was "sucking the life out of her".[53]
A year after Breivik's birth, his parents' relationship ended. Breivik's mother moved back to Oslo, where she borrowed[54] Jens Breivik's apartment in the Frogner borough. Neighbours claimed that there were noises of fights and that the mother left her children completely alone for extended periods of time, while she was working as a nurse. In 1981, Breivik's mother applied for welfare spending benefits, specifically monetary payment or financial aid;[54] in 1982, she applied for respite care for her son. She says that she was overwhelmed with the boy and unable to care for him. She described him as "clingy and demanding". Breivik was then placed, in cooperation with the Child Welfare Service, with a young couple. This couple later told police that the mother, when bringing two-year-old Breivik to the house, had asked that he be allowed to touch the man's penis because he had no one to compare himself to in terms of appearance; "He has only ever seen girls' parts", the mother told the couple, according to the couple's undated statement to police.[55]
In February 1983, on the advice of her neighbours, Breivik's mother sought help from the National Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (SSBU); Breivik and his mother were outpatients, and they stayed there during the daytime for about one month. The psychiatrists' conclusion of the stay was that Breivik should be placed in the foster care system and had to be removed from his mother for him to develop normally. This was based on several observations: Breivik had little emotional engagement and did not show joy or cry when he was hurt; he also made no attempts to play with other children and was extremely clean and became anxious when his toys were not in order.
Psychologists believed that Breivik's mother had punished him and reacted extremely negatively to him displaying emotions leading him to become devoid of any visible emotions. His mother had also claimed that he was unclean and that she constantly had to care for him. Psychologists believed that Breivik had developed obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) because of fear of punishment from his mother. He did not show the normal level of uncleanliness of a four-year-old and had no repertoire on how to express emotions normally. On rare occasions, his long phases of emotional voidness would be interrupted by fits where he would erupt and display extreme uncontrolled emotions.[53]
Reports of the staff said that his mother had told Breivik that she "wished that he was dead" while she knew that she was being observed by health personnel. At the same time she bound him emotionally to her, alternating between great affection and extreme cruelty from one moment to the next. Some nights, Breivik and his mother would share the bed with close body contact.[56] The psychiatrists concluded this was an unacceptable situation for a four-year-old to be in and the report from 1983 stated: "Anders is a victim of his mother's projections of paranoid-aggressive and sexual fears toward men in general", and "she projects onto him her own primitive, aggressive and sexual fantasies; all the qualities in men that she regards as dangerous and aggressive." Breivik reacted very negatively to his mother and alternated between clinginess, petty aggression and extreme childishness.[53]
The final conclusion of the observation was that the "family is in dire need of help. Anders should be removed from the family and given a better standard of care; the mother is provoked by him and remains in an ambivalent position which prevents him from developing on his own terms. Anders has become an anxious, passive child that averts making contact. He displays a manic defense mechanism of restless activity and a feigned, deflecting smile. Considering the profoundly pathological relationship between Anders and his mother it is crucial to make an early effort to ward off a severely skewed development in the boy." However, Child Welfare Services did not follow this recommendation and instead, he was placed in respite care only during the weekends.[53]
When Breivik's father learned of the situation, he filed for custody. Although Breivik's mother had agreed to have him put in respite care, after Jens had filed for custody she demanded that Breivik be put back into full custody with her. Both the mother and father involved lawyers and eventually, the case was dropped because the Welfare Services thought that they would not be able to provide enough evidence in court to warrant the placement of Breivik in foster care. One of the main reasons for this was the testimony of staff from the Vigelandsparken Nursery, which Breivik had been attending since 1981.
They described him as a happy child and claimed that nothing was wrong or had been wrong with him all along. During all of this, the SSBU maintained their stances and said "urgent action is crucially needed to prevent a severely skewed development in the boy". The SSBU wrote Child Welfare Services a letter claiming that an order should be placed to have Breivik removed by force. In 1984, a hearing in front of Barnevernsnemnda (the municipal child welfare committee) took place on whether Breivik's mother should lose custody of him. The Child Welfare Service lost the case; the agency was represented by a social worker with no prior experience of representing a case in front of the committee.[54] It was ruled that the family should be supervised. However, after only three visits the supervision was discontinued. Breivik was never again put into respite care or foster care.[53]
Breivik attended Smestad Grammar School, Ris Junior High, Hartvig Nissens School and Oslo Commerce School.[57][58] A former classmate recalled that Breivik was an intelligent student, physically stronger than others of the same age, who often took care of people who were bullied.[59] Breivik lived with his mother and his elder half-sister in the West End of Oslo,[60][54] regularly visiting his father and stepmother, who had now moved to France, until they divorced when he was 12. His mother remarried to an officer in the Norwegian Army.[49] Breivik chose to be confirmed into the Lutheran Church of Norway at the age of 15.[61][62][63][64]
In his adolescence, Breivik's behaviour was described as rebellious. In his early teen years, he was a prolific graffiti artist and part of the hip hop community in Oslo West. He took his graffiti much more seriously than his associates did and was caught by the police on several occasions; child welfare services were notified once again and he was fined on two occasions.[20] According to Breivik's mother, his father ceased contact with him at the age of 15, after he was caught and fined for spraying graffiti on walls in 1995.[20][21] It was reported they had not been in contact since then.[65] According to Breivik's father, however, it was his son who broke off contact, claiming "I was always willing to see [Anders]," despite his destructive activities.[66] At this age, Anders fell out with his best friend and broke off contact with the hip hop community.[67]
Beginning in adolescence, Breivik spent his spare time weight training, and started to use anabolic steroids. He cared a lot about his looks and about appearing big and strong.[68]
Breivik was exempt from conscription to military service in the Norwegian Army; he had no military training.[69] The Norwegian Defence Security Department, which conducts the vetting process, says he was deemed "unfit for service" at the mandatory conscript assessment.[70] After age 21, Breivik worked in the customer service department of an unnamed company, working with "people from all countries" and being "kind to everyone".[25] A former co-worker described him as an "exceptional colleague",[71] while a close friend of his said he usually had a big ego.
Breivik is reported to have traveled extensively and visited up to 24 countries in the years before the attacks,[72] including Belarus in 2005.[73] Norwegian prosecuting authorities claim that Breivik went to Belarus to meet a woman he had met on a dating website. The same woman later visited him in Oslo.[74] Norwegian police sent legal requests to sixteen countries to investigate Breivik following his attacks.[75] According to acquaintances, in his early twenties Breivik had cosmetic surgery on his chin, nose and forehead, and was pleased with the results.[68]
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Breivik claimed that in 2002, at the age of 23, he started a nine-year plan to finance the 2011 attacks, forming his own computer programming business while working at a customer service company. He claimed his company grew to six employees and "several offshore bank accounts", and that he had made his first million kroner at the age of 24. He wrote in his manifesto that he lost 2 million kroner on stock speculation, but still had about 2 million kroner to finance the attack.[26] The company was later declared bankrupt and Breivik was reported for several breaches of the law.[23] He then moved back to his mother's home in order to save money. The first set of psychiatrists who evaluated him said in their report that his mental health deteriorated at this stage and he entered a state of withdrawal and isolation.[76] His declared assets in 2007 were about kr 630,000 (US$76,244[24]), according to Norwegian tax authority figures.[25] He claimed that by 2008 he had about kr 2,000,000 (US$243,332[24]) and nine credit cards giving him access to €26,000 in credit.[26]
In May 2009, he founded a farming company called "Breivik Geofarm",[77] described as a farming sole proprietorship set up to cultivate vegetables, melons, roots, and tubers.[78] In 2010, he visited Prague in an attempt to buy illegal weapons. He was unable to obtain a weapon there and decided to use legal channels in Norway instead.[79] He bought one semi-automatic 9 mm Glock 34 pistol legally by demonstrating his membership in a pistol club in the police application for a gun license, and the semi-automatic Ruger Mini-14 rifle by possessing a hunting license.[80] Breivik had no declared income in 2009 and his assets amounted to 390,000 kroner ($72,063),[24] according to Norwegian tax authority figures.[25] He stated that in January 2010 his funds were "depleting gradually". On 23 June 2011, a month before the attacks, he paid the outstanding amount on his nine credit cards so he could have access to funds during his preparations.[26] Breivik had covered up the windows of his house. Breivik's former neighbour described him as a "city dweller, who wore expensive shirts and who knew nothing about rural ways". The owner of a local bar, who once worked as a profiler of passengers' body language at Oslo Airport, said there was nothing unusual about Breivik, who was an occasional customer at the bar.[81]
In late June or early July 2011, he moved to a rural area north of Åsta in Åmot, Innlandet county, about 140 km (87 mi) north-east of Oslo,[82] the site of his farm. According to his manifesto, Breivik used the company as a cover to legally obtain large amounts of artificial fertiliser and other chemicals for the manufacturing of explosives.[82] A farming supplier sold Breivik's company six tonnes of fertiliser in May.[83] The newspaper Verdens Gang reported that after Breivik bought a small quantity of an explosive primer from an online shop in Poland, his name was among sixty passed to the Police Security Service (PST) by the Norwegian Customs Service as having used the store to buy products. Speaking to the newspaper, Jon Fitje of PST said the information they found gave no indication of anything suspicious. He sets the cost of the preparations for the attacks at €317,000—"130,000 out of pocket and 187,500 euros in lost revenue over three years." [sic][25]
The first attack was a car bomb explosion in Oslo within Regjeringskvartalet, the executive government quarter of Norway, at 15:25:22 (CEST) on 22 July 2011.[84] The bomb was placed inside a van[85] next to the tower block housing the office of the then Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.[86] The explosion killed eight people and injured at least 209 people, twelve severely.[87][88][89]
The second attack occurred less than two hours later at a youth summer camp on the island of Utøya in Tyrifjorden, Buskerud. The camp was organised by the AUF, the youth wing of the ruling Norwegian Labour Party (AP). Breivik, dressed in a homemade police uniform and showing false identification,[90][91] took a ferry to the island and opened fire at the participants, methodically killing 69[92][93] and injuring 32 over more than an hour.[88][89] Among the dead were friends of Stoltenberg, and the stepbrother of Norway's crown princess Mette-Marit.[94]
When the police tactical unit Delta based in Oslo arrived on the island and confronted him, he surrendered without resistance.[95] After his arrest he was held on the island and interrogated throughout the night, before being moved to a holding cell in Oslo. Breivik admitted to the crimes and said the purpose of the attack was to save Norway and Western Europe from a Muslim takeover, and that the Labour Party had to "pay the price" for "letting down Norway and the Norwegian people."[96] After his arrest, Breivik referred to himself as "the greatest monster since Quisling."[97]
On 25 July 2011, Breivik was charged with violating paragraph 147a of the Norwegian criminal code,[98][99] "destabilising or destroying basic functions of society" and "creating serious fear in the population",[100] both of which are acts of terrorism under Norwegian law. He was held for eight weeks, the first four in solitary confinement, pending further court proceedings.[98][101] The custody was extended in subsequent hearings.[102] The indictment was ready in early March 2012. The Director of Public Prosecutions had initially decided to censor the document to the public, leaving out the names of the victims as well as details about their deaths. Due to the public's reaction, this decision was reversed prior to its release.[103] On 30 March, the Borgarting Court of Appeal announced that it had scheduled the expected appeal case for 15 January 2013. It would be heard in the same specially-constructed courtroom where the initial criminal case was tried.[104]
Breivik was kept at Ila Detention and Security Prison after arrest. There, he had at his disposal three prison cells: one where he could rest, sleep, and watch DVDs and TV, a second that was set up for him to use a computer without the Internet, and a third with gymnasium equipment. Only selected prison staff with special qualifications were allowed to work around him, and the prison management aimed to not let his presence as a high-security prisoner affect any of the other inmates.[105] Subsequent to the January 2012 lifting of letters and visitors censorship for Breivik, he received several inquiries from private individuals,[106] and he devoted his time to writing back to like-minded people. According to one of his attorneys, Breivik was curious to learn whether his manifesto has begun to take root in society. Breivik's attorneys, in consultation with Breivik, considered whether to have some of his interlocutors called as witnesses during the trial.[107] Media outlets, both Norwegian and international, requested to interview Breivik. The first such was cancelled by the prison administration following a background check of the journalist in question. A second interview was agreed to by Breivik, and the prison requested a background check to be done by the police in the country of the journalist. No information was divulged about the media organisations in question.[108]
Breivik underwent his first examination by court-appointed forensic psychiatrists in 2011. The psychiatrists diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia, concluding that he had developed the disorder over time and was psychotic both when he carried out the attacks and during the observation. He was also diagnosed with abuse of non-dependence-producing substances antecedent of 22 July. The psychiatrists consequently found Breivik to be criminally insane.[109][110]
According to the report, Breivik displayed inappropriate and blunted affect and a severe lack of empathy. He spoke incoherently in neologisms and had acted compulsively based on a universe of bizarre, grandiose and delusional thoughts. Breivik alluded to himself as the future regent of Norway, master of life and death, while calling himself "inordinately loving" and "Europe's most perfect knight since WWII". He was convinced that he was a warrior in a "low intensity civil war" and had been chosen to save his people. Breivik described plans to carry out further "executions of categories A, B and C traitors" by the thousands, the psychiatrists included, and to organize Norwegians in reservations for the purpose of selective breeding. Breivik believed himself to be the "knight Justiciar grand master" of a Templar organisation. He was deemed to be suicidal and homicidal by the psychiatrists.[109] According to his defence attorney, Breivik initially expressed surprise and felt insulted by the conclusions in the report. He later said "this provides new opportunities".[111]
The outcome of Breivik's first competency evaluation was fiercely debated in Norway by mental health experts, over the court-appointed psychiatrists' opinion and the country's definition of criminal insanity.[112][113] An extended panel of experts from the Norwegian Board of Forensic Medicine reviewed the submitted report and approved it "with no significant remarks".[114] News in the meantime emerged that the psychiatric medical staff in charge of treating prisoners at Ila Detention and Security Prison did not make any observations that suggested he had either psychosis, depression or was suicidal. According to senior psychiatrist Randi Rosenqvist, who was commissioned by the prison to examine Breivik, he rather appeared to have personality disorders.[113][115][116]
Counsels representing families and victims filed requests that the court order a second opinion, while the prosecuting authority and Breivik's lawyer initially did not want new experts to be appointed. On 13 January 2012, after much public pressure, the Oslo District Court ordered a second expert panel to evaluate Breivik's mental state.[117] He initially refused to cooperate with new psychiatrists.[118] He later changed his mind and in late February a new period of psychiatric observation, this time using different methods than the first period, was begun.
If the original diagnosis had been upheld by the court, it would have meant that Breivik could not be sentenced to a prison term. The prosecution could instead have requested that he be detained in a psychiatric hospital.[119] Medical advice would then have determined whether or not the courts decided to release him at some later point. If considered a perpetual danger to society, Breivik could have been kept in confinement for life.[120] Shortly after the second period of pre-trial psychiatric observation was begun, the prosecution said it expected Breivik would be declared legally insane.[121][122]
On 10 April 2012, the second psychiatric evaluation was published with the conclusion that Breivik was not psychotic during the attacks and he was not psychotic during their evaluation.[38] Instead, they diagnosed antisocial personality disorder and narcissistic personality disorder.[39][123][124] Breivik expressed hope at being declared sane in a letter sent to several Norwegian newspapers shortly before his trial, in which he wrote about the prospect of being sent to a psychiatric ward: "I must admit this is the worst thing that could have happened to me as it is the ultimate humiliation. To send a political activist to a mental hospital is more sadistic and evil than to kill him! It is a fate worse than death."[125]
On 8 June 2012, Professor of Psychiatry Ulrik Fredrik Malt testified in court as an expert witness, saying he found it unlikely that Breivik had schizophrenia. According to Malt, Breivik primarily had Asperger syndrome, Tourette syndrome, narcissistic personality disorder and possibly paranoid psychosis.[126] Malt cited a number of factors in support of his diagnoses, including deviant behaviour as a child, extreme specialization in Breivik's study of weapons and bomb technology, strange facial expression, a remarkable way of talking, and an obsession with numbers.[127] Eirik Johannesen disagreed, concluding that Breivik was lying and was not delusional or psychotic.[128] Johannesen had observed and spoken to Breivik for more than twenty hours.[129]
In the pre-trial hearing, in February 2012, Breivik read a prepared statement demanding to be released and treated as a hero for his "pre-emptive attack against traitors" accused of planning cultural genocide. He said, "They are committing, or planning to commit, cultural destruction, including deconstruction of the Norwegian ethnic group and deconstruction of Norwegian culture. This is the same as ethnic cleansing."[130]
The criminal trial of Breivik began on 16 April 2012 in Oslo Courthouse under the jurisdiction of Oslo District Court. The appointed prosecutors were Inga Bejer Engh and Svein Holden with Geir Lippestad serving as Breivik's lead counsel for the defence. Closing arguments were held on 22 June.[16] On 24 August 2012, Breivik was adjudged sane at the time the crimes were committed and sentenced to preventive detention for a period of 21 years—the maximum penalty in Norway; with a minimum non-parole period of 10 years which is the longest minimum sentence available.[131][132] This sentence allows the court to continue Breivik's detention indefinitely, five years at a time for as long as the prosecuting authority deems it necessary in order to protect society. Whilst Breivik pleaded not guilty, Breivik did not appeal the sentence, and on 8 September, the media announced that the verdict was final.[133][134] The court said, "many people share Breivik's conspiracy theory, including the Eurabia theory. The court finds that very few people, however, share Breivik's idea that the alleged 'Islamisation' should be fought with terror."[135]
Breivik announced that he did not recognize the legitimacy of the court and therefore did not accept its decision—he decided not to appeal, saying this would legitimize the authority of the Oslo District Court.[136][133]
Since August 2011, Breivik has been imprisoned in an SHS section (a prison section with "particularly high security"—"særlig høy sikkerhet").[138][139] In March 2022, Breivik was transferred to Ringerike Prison;[140] As of 2022, he is in an SHS section. There is another prisoner in the section, but Breivik is completely[141] separated from that prisoner.[142][143][144][145] Breivik's earlier prison transfers were: on 23 July 2012, he transferred from Ila Detention and Security Prison in Bærum[146] to Skien Prison, formally known as Telemark fengsel, Skien avdeling, in Skien, county Telemark.[147] On 28 September 2012 he transferred back to Ila.[138]
In Q1 2023, Breivik chose to put a stop[148] to receiving more visits from the prison visitor or a prison visitor—a military chaplain (ranked major), that Breivik had been seeing every two weeks since[149] 2015.[150][151] This visitor was paid 164,000 Norwegian kroner, by the government as of 1 January 2016[update], in regard to visiting Breivik.[152] His mother visited him five times before her death in 2013[153] and researcher Mattias Gardell interviewed Breivik in 2014,[154] but no other visitors requested by Breivik have been granted access.[153]
He is isolated from the other inmates, and only has contact with healthcare workers and guards.[155] The type of isolation that Breivik has experienced in prison is what the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) calls relative social isolation, according to a verdict of 2016 in Oslo District Court.[153] In November 2020, Breivik had an interaction with another prisoner for the first time, in the presence of at least seven prison officers; the prisoners played cards and talked for around one or two hours; the other prisoner chose to not have a third meeting with Breivik, according to media reports in January 2021.[156]
In Norway, it is not uncommon to grant compensatory measures to prisoners that are being held in isolation for several years. As of 2021[update], he has access in his cell -between 9 am and 2:30 pm—to a personal computer (with seals that impede unauthorised opening of the computers panels), that he uses to write letters.[157] Earlier reports—in 2016—said that he has an electric typewriter and an Xbox (without internet connection) in his cell.[158] Previously, when the original verdict was upheld in September 2012, his permission for access to a computer (without internet) in his prison cell ended.
Breivik enrolled in a bachelor's degree program in political science at the University of Oslo; he passed two courses in 2015.[159][160][161] In 2015, he claimed in a letter that harsh prison conditions had forced him to drop out.[162] According to a statement by his lawyer, Breivik had become a Nazi in prison.[163] The government denied him parole in Q3 2024. An earlier decision saw the government denying him parole in 2021, and the court system upheld that decision in 2022.[164][165] Since his imprisonment, Breivik has identified himself as a fascist[166] and a Nazi,[167] as well as a practitioner of Odinism.[167][168][169]
As of 2012, Breivik has written to, among others, Peter Mangs and Beate Zschäpe.[170][154][171][172] In 2012, politicians protested Breivik's activities in prison, which they see as him continuing to promote or expose his ideology and possibly encouraging further criminal acts.[171][172][173] As with all convicts, his letters are vetted before sending to prevent further crimes. After he came to Skien Prison in 2013,[138] 5 out of 300 letters that he sent had not been confiscated, he testified in court in 2016. He added: "Of the 200 forms regarding prison visits that I have mailed, all have been confiscated."[151] By 2016, around 4,000 postal items had been sent to or from Breivik, and about 15 per cent of these (600 items) had been confiscated.[174] On 11 March 2016, political scientist Ingeborg Kjos was copied in on a letter from Breivik to the Ministry of Justice that had taken over a year and a half to reach her; the letter did not advocate violence.[175]
In a reply to a letter from Breivik addressed to all members of parliament and with a personalized note to Kamzy Gunaratnam, a survivor of the Utøya attack, Gunaratnam wrote:[176] "... As deputy mayor [... of Oslo] it is my job to see that no one experiences the same social rejection that you did [experience]. Your fight against social rejection is the only fight we have in common, Anders. The fight against the lacking presence of parents and adults. Lack of teachers who saw you [or validated you]. [Lack of] psychiatric assistance."[177] In 2021, NRK printed a facsimile of part of a letter which Breivik sent in July to an organisation headed by the mother of a woman that Breivik had killed. The letter is described as "white power propaganda".[178]
In November 2012, Breivik wrote a 27-page letter of complaints to the prison authorities, talking about the security restrictions he was being held under, claiming that the prison director personally wanted to punish him. In letters to foreign media outlets, he told them about his demands to prison authorities "including easier communication with the outside world and a PlayStation 3 to replace the current PlayStation 2, because it offered more suitable games"; media reported in 2014 about demands that he would starve himself to death if he was refused "access to a sofa and a bigger gym"; furthermore he said that "Other inmates have access to adult games while I only have the right to play less interesting kids' games. One example is "Rayman Revolution", a game aimed at three-year-olds," Breivik complained to prison officials."[179][180] In September 2015, Breivik again threatened a hunger strike, because of deteriorating prison conditions,[162] but delayed in order to sue the Norwegian Government over prison conditions.[155]
Breivik sued the government of Norway; the civil trial was held during four days in 2016.[181] The verdict in the lower court was appealed;[182] in the appellate court, he lost on all counts, and the supreme court decided not to hear the case.[183][184][185] Breivik sued the government over his solitary confinement, and his general conditions of imprisonment, including a claim of an excessive use of handcuffs. Breivik claimed that his solitary confinement violated his human rights and asserted that he had been subjected to "degrading treatment, including hundreds of strip searches and frequent searches of his cell, including at night."[186]
The Parliamentary Ombudsman had previously reported that the regimen for serving a prison sentence at the level of particularly high security constitutes a heightened risk of inhumane treatment.[151][186] On 14 March, members of the court performed a walk-through of prison cells used by Breivik at Ila Prison; later the same week the members of the court inspected the prison facilities used by Breivik at Skien Prison.[187][188]
On 15 March, Oslo District Court convened inside Skien Prison. After his handcuffs were removed upon his arrival, Breivik faced the gallery and performed a Nazi salute.[186][189] One judge said that Breivik's salute seemed disruptive, "therefore I wish that you do not do it again".[190][174] Øystein Storrvik, the head of Breivik's legal team, told the court about Breivik's letter of complaint to the government in 2012 which detailed being awakened by flashlight as often as every half-hour.[191][188][192]
On 16 March, Breivik started his testimony,[193] "to give his view on the strict prison regimen [that he is exposed to] and any damage done to his health while in prison as a cause of isolation".[194] He reported having been handcuffed 3,500 times.[151]
The main points of his testimony were:
Randi Rosenqvist, a psychiatrist at Ila Prison, was cross-examined by Storrvik.[151] Storrvik asked if she had suggested visits without a glass wall; Rosenqvist replied: "Yes I have discussed this. I have been thinking that visits without a glass wall could be something [to consider]. I don't think that with his image, he would be violent to someone he has [some sort of] a [working-] relationship to." Storrvik read out loud recommendations by Rosenqvist, including "Retired police officers could, for example, come [to socialise with Breivik], drink coffee, play games".[151]
Later, Storrvik introduced a report from the "prevention section" at the office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, dated 11 November 2015, regarding a series of visits that year by the ombudsman; the report said that Breivik was being held at a section where sometimes there was only one prisoner.[151] Storrvik read from the report that "The limitations on visits at the time of the inspection [by the Parliamentary Ombudsman] seemed quite strict". He said that in that section of the prison, it should expand the planned fellowship or community between prisoners and employees and consider other measures to minimise the risk of isolation damage. At that section the prison should evaluate alternative possibilities for recreation in fresh air, in addition to the concrete exercise yard. The report recommended that the prison should discontinue the visual surveillance of health-related conversations that occur with a glass wall between prisoner and health personnel.[151]
The second witness was Knut Bjarkeid, Chief Warden at Ila Prison. Storrvik confronted Bjarkeid with a document regarding prison Section G being turned in part into a "particularly high security department". He read: "There are obvious limits to how long he can be in Section G"; the document was written by Bjarkeid. Storrvik said: "The words are here, obviously there are limits to how long he shall be isolated. This was in 2012. He is still in total isolation". After Bjarkeid left the witness stand, the government's chief lawyer in the trial, Marius Emberland read out loud from a letter that Breivik had written, dated 29 September 2013; in the letter Breivik reported several persons to the police; the Asker and Bærum Police District investigated and later dropped the investigation; Breivik's letter detailed the number of strip searches, "grip manoeuvres", and handcuffings he had undergone.[151]
The next witness was Bjørn Draugedalen, a general practitioner working one day per week at Skien Prison.[151] His first consultation with Breivik was held in a recreation room in a high-security unit. Draugedalen shook hands with Breivik, with five prison officers present; all the later consultations (until the trial) were held with a glass wall separating them.[151] Storrvik asked: "This change, when another prisoner arrived [and started to live in the same prison section], which resulted in Breivik's movement being restricted—did you consider to go up there to view [his living conditions or] how things were?" Draugedalen answered: "We have to deal with changes done by the Corrections Services".[151] The judge interjected, and she said that the Correction Services likely would listen to health care workers. Draugedalen replied that "We did not see any extra value then, regarding visiting him in the [prison] section".[151] Draugedalen said that he has not been notified that Breivik has discontinued his university studies.[151]
The fourth witness was a doctor for prisoners at Ila Prison. Storrvik read from Breivik's medical record dated 5 February 2013 that Breivik intended to recreate less in fresh air because of the strip searches that follow. Storrvik asked: "The fact that he goes outside less, to avoid being strip searched, was that discussed as a problem?" The physician answered: "No, that was not discussed [among the health care workers or] in the health section".[151] Later, the judge referred to nightly inspections every half hour, and the physician answered that he could not remember.[151] Tore Stenshagen, a corrections officer (and section leader) at Skien Prison, testified that sometimes he sat down [in Breivik's cell] and talked with Breivik, and that they were accompanied by only one prison officer.[151]
Summing up the case for Breivik, Storrvik said: "For some reason, in Norway it has been established that in a female prison, a male prison officer cannot strip search a prisoner, but in a male prison it is ok that females are present. This is offensive—I do not see any alternatives".[151] He then talked about the case of strip searches of prisoner Piechowicz[197] in Poland.[151] In that case, the court was not convinced by the Polish government's arguments that the systematic, humiliating, daily searches were necessary to secure the prison. He continued: "He was also awoken at night, but he had 147 visits that compensated", and Piechowicz's isolation lasted for a shorter period; Storrvik said: "Note that one calls it isolation, even though he had one cellmate".[151] Storrvik said that "the verdict [of] Piechowicz vs. Poland point to a breach of ECHR in our case".[151]
Storrvik said: "In my opinion there is not a complete concurrence between risk analyses and measures in our case. Risk analyses have at an early stage come with suggestions for measures [and these have not been followed up] (...) For example, removing the glass wall during visits and the possibility of introducing fellow prisoner, has been discussed at such an early stage that there should be a good reason for why Rosenqvist's advice has not been followed".[151] Storrvik said: "The main problem for the government in this case is that the discrepancies between well-founded—in the context of security—suggestions from one of those who knows this case the best has not been followed".[198]
Storrvik compared Breivik's position as a Catch-22 situation: if Breivik says that he has psychiatric problems, then he has picked them out of a book; if he says that he does not have psychiatric problems, then he does not have psychiatric problems.[151] Storrvik said that there had been no inspections by agencies tasked with oversight, as far as he knew, until the Parliamentary Ombudsman came.[151] Breivik's lawyer referred to visual or manual body cavity searches; he disagreed with Emberland's view that there was a difference regarding anal inspection as referred to in ECHR verdicts in other cases, and the squats that Breivik must perform while naked; Storrvik's opinion is that Ila lacks specific reasons for all the inspections.[151]
Mestad said: "The government's primary task is to protect its citizens. To let a convicted terrorist establish a network, is dangerous".[199] Storrvik said Breivik's previous verdict "indicates a mental vulnerability. If that is not enough, Breivik appears—by my standards—confused in court".[200] Storrvik added that "mental vulnerability is a very, very weak expression".[200] Emberland said that "Storrvik is quoting from the dissenting opinions from verdicts of the ECHR"—at least as much as he is quoting the majority opinions of the verdicts.[200]
Breivik's testimony about his ideology was described as incoherent.[201] In Dagbladet, research advisor and psychologist Aina Sundt Gullhaugen said about prison superintendent Bjarkeid's opinion that Breivik was not one of the prisoners at Ila suffering from isolation:
And surely it is an ugly sight when humans in the basement at Ila [Prison] smear feces on the walls and no longer are oriented about themselves, time or place. But those who think that Breivik is not suffering have made themselves unavailable for the documented pain that Anders partook in [during childhood] ... The problem is that Breivik ... expresses his affliction in a manner that does not get captured particularly well by diagnostics manuals. The type of fundamental relational and emotional deficiencies that Breivik was allowed to develop, usually results in that person ending up speaking a language that others do not recognise.[202]
In Aftenposten, Ulrik Fredrik Malt said that "the mass murderer is mentally quite ill, and that's being undercommunicated".[203]
On 20 April 2016, District Court Judge Helen Andenæs Sekulic gave her verdict.[204] The verdict said that the conditions of his imprisonment breached Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, but that Article 8 of the Convention had not been violated—confiscation of letters had been justified.[205] The government was also ordered to pay 330,937.5 Norwegian kroner ($40,373)[205][206] for the plaintiff's legal expenses incurred by the court case. Breivik could not receive the money, but his lawyer could upon the verdict being upheld.[207] Breivik was not in any courtroom when he received the verdict; his copy of the verdict was faxed to the prison.[208]
On 21 April 2016, news media said that Ole Kristoffer Borhaug, chief warden at Skien Prison, said that the prison regimen for Breivik would not be lightened, in part because the verdict has not been officially upheld, and there are regulations preventing high security prisoners from interacting with prisoners of other categories.[209]
Two former convicts opined: Kjell Alrich Schumann said that the verdict is most importantly about the principles regarding the application of isolation in Norwegian prisons. He said: "The decisions are evaluated by an entity at the Correctional Service every six months, and they can use any kinds of arguments. There is no oversight"; Sven-Eirik Utsi said that "isolation [is something that the prison system of] Norway has been criticised about for several decades [by the ECtHR]".[210]
The government's chief lawyer in the trial, Marius Emberland, had voiced his opinion about the verdict before the appeal; his opinion was criticized by the leader of the Norwegian Judges' Association, Ingjerd Thune:[211] "I clearly understand that many react. I have never heard a lawyer speak in that manner—ever. That was surprising"; lawyer Frode Sulland said that one gets the impression that Office of the Attorney General "does not respect the justice system, and they still think that they are right, even when the court thinks they are wrong"; Emberland eventually recognised that some of his verbal comments can be interpreted as arrogant, adding that "they really were not meant that way".[212]
Legal scholar Mads Andenæs, said that "The appeal has no bearing on the responsibility of the government to evaluate and make the changes that the verdict of Oslo District Court imposes on the government. This results directly from Norwegian Law and practices of ECtHR".[213]
In August, media said that Storrvik claims that the judge [scheduled to rule in the trial] is partial;[214] the judge was recused.[215] The appeal was heard in Borgarting Court of Appeal (convening within the prison), in January 2017; Breivik came to court without handcuffs.[216] Storrvik made comparisons with verdicts at European Court of Human Rights, including the case of the leader of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) (Abdullah Öcalan).[217] The verdict,[183][184] stated that solitary confinement did not violate Breivik's rights, and all recommendations were voided.[185] In 2017, Norway's Supreme Court decided not to hear the case.[216][218]
In 2022, there was a criminal trial; before the trial, the authorities had recommended to not support his petition for parole. The trial did not charge him with any new crimes.[219]
In January, the three-day[160] trial started at Telemark District Court—in a makeshift[220] courtroom in Skien Prison—to decide whether to reverse or uphold the District Attorney's refusal of parole.[221][222][223][224] The indictment states that the prosecuting authority does not consent to parole because "preventive detention is deemed necessary to protect society".[221][225] At the start of the trial, Breivik gave several Nazi salutes, to both the judge[226] and the members of the public in the courtroom.[227] Breivik testified that he is still a Nazi and will continue to work for White Power, but no longer wants to pursue it through violence.[221][228][160] He says that he is trying to register a Nazi political party; he apparently is aspiring to be a candidate running for parliamentary election in Norway.[227] Breivik's lawyer said that he wanted Breivik to serve his prison sentence together with one or more inmates; furthermore if that were to happen, then it would have to be with Philip Manshaus—because they would not injure each other.[226]
On day two, Pär Öberg, a Swedish local politician belonging to the Nordic Resistance Movement, testified. The next witness was a psychiatrist, Randi Rosenqvist, who retired in 2020.[160] She said that she had met with Breivik as late as May and June 2017.[229] The court permitted that Breivik could interject a comment regarding the testimonies; Breivik said that Rosenqvist is not an expert on extremism. Breivik added that Rosenqvist said that he uses "a lot of time" on politics, however, Breivik commented that he used nearly all of his time on business plans and his studies.[229]
The next witness was Emily Krokann—an advisor at the prison. She testified about a document that she did not write—about the prison's view that Breivik should not be paroled. Furthermore, she said that "repeatedly letters have been stopped, that were to persons he had no contact with before the acts of terrorism". Furthermore, she said that "letters to public figures have been stopped, because supporters might become inspired by the letters". She also said that Breivik used antidepressants and when she was asked by Breivik's lawyer, if she could give an example of one person who Breivik had two-way communication with, through postal letters; she said "No".[230][229]
The next witness was Espen Jambak, an assistant warden. He said that Breivik had permission to write letters to people he knew "before [the acts of terrorism]". He said that he agreed that there was little "progresjon".[160] Progresjon entails that the prisoner is given the possibility of gradually transferring to lower security conditions, up to and including serving the sentence as a parolee.[231] Rehabilitation can be aided by giving room for "progresjon".[232]
On day three, Storrvik said that "it is a paradox that if a [prisoner] is treated so badly [by the government while] in prison that he never gets better, then he will never be released". He said that someone can do horrible things, without later, as an ex-con or parolee, trying to repeat it.[229] "There is a goal that all punishment in Norway should have progresjon", Storrvik said during closing arguments, according to Anders Giæver.[233] Breivik had not had physical contact with anyone except correction officers for the previous nine years, with his lawyer adding "that might be against regulations".[234]
NRK's crime journalist, Olav Rønneberg, said that: "In other words, the opinion of Breivik's lawyer is that if there is no facilitation for improvements, then the regulations will be violated by the government to a degree where the courts will be forced to let him out sometime in the future".[234]
The verdict said that Breivik appeared to be "obviously mentally disturbed, and with a mind that is difficult for other people to penetrate".[235][234][236][164]
Some psychiatrists watched media broadcasts from the trial and they claimed that Breivik appeared to be mentally ill.[237][238] Tor Ketil Larsen, a professor of Psychiatry at the University of Bergen, claimed that Breivik appeared to be psychotic and delusional, and that medical treatment should be attempted with antipsychotics.[239] Fred Heggen, a psychiatrist and chief physician at Gaustad Hospital, said that Breivik clearly displayed [237] psychotic behavior and a psychotic way of thinking, and that Breivik "has a lack of reality that is pervasive, and it is dramatic".[237]
Psychologist Pål Grøndahl stated that Breivik's personality was so fragmented, that he moved, psychologically speaking, at the edge of the states between various psychotic and personality disorders. Grøndahl went on to say that "[when Breivik] throws forward odd ideas like that he was brainwashed in 2011, radicalised by descendents of German SS soldiers, and ordered by a right-wing 'collective' to re-establish the Third Reich, he sounds like a person that has a lacking sense of reality", and that "it is not difficult to notice statements from Breivik that are characteristic of psychosis."[240]
Randi Rosenqvist, one of Norway's leading forensic psychiatrists and a [then-retired] psychiatrist for the Correctional Service, disagreed with comments that Breivik was psychotic, because although she thought Breivik's thoughts were "crazy" they were "completely down to earth", and that she believed he had autism. Rosenqvist stated in Aftenposten, she found he mostly functioned in a clearly non-psychotic manner.[240]
Tor Langback, a lawyer, said that Breivik seems more insane now than during the criminal trial in 2012, and that Breivik's prison conditions were not exactly aiding the improvement of his mental health.[241] In 2021, Aage Borchgrevink, a Norwegian author and literary critic, critiqued the press saying that "even after 77 burials ... the Norwegian press does not want to tell about the child abuse and psychiatric illness in Breivik's family".[242]
On 8 January 2024, the court convened inside his prison. The lawsuit against the government, is in regard to how the lacking contact with people is doing something[243] to Breivik's mental health.
Breivik's lawyer said in court that Breivik has contact with two other inmates, through "controlled fellowship" for one hour every other week.[244] At those times, several corrections officers are seated between these prisoners. Breivik also got a visit (in prison) from a Red Cross dog and its handler, "a while ago"; the dog was Breivik's only visitor in 12 years that has been allowed behind the bars in the room for visitation.[245]
As part of its communication control of Breivik, he receives [some of the] letters from people outside the prison, but he is not permitted to reply.[246] The prison has also stopped attempts at correspondence with a prisoner that Breivik got acquainted with.[246][245] In regard to a report last year from PST, Breivik is being implicated in cases where Breivik has had no contact with the involved persons, according to Breivik's lawyer.[245][247]
On day two, the prosecution's [main] lawyer [talked about] the two latest risk evaluations (regarding Breivik), and those conclude that Breivik is still a great risk.[247]
Breivik started his testimony on day two,[248] by replying to questions from Breivik's lawyer; Breivik talks about the letters he receives; Breivik claims that the letters are not political, and he has received 2000 letters from people that want to become friends with Breivik;[247] Another media outlet quoted Breivik: "There are 4000 that are awaiting my reply, but I am not allowed to send letters to anyone that I did not have contact with before 2011. Many years have passed since I had any meaningful relationships"; Furthermore, he said that "The only people that want to be friends with me, are rather conservative, but that does not mean that they are Nazis".[243]
Breivik [started contradiction toward] what the prosecution said earlier (in the trial), and Breivik's lawyer interrupted and said: "Talk about the conditions under which you are serving your sentence. [Any other subject or] anything else would be to break through all limits"; Breivik said that he first and foremost wishes a pen pal; "That is what I have strived for, during the past 12 years. I have not had a meaningful pen-pal since 2012"; Breivik also suggested several ways that he could have contact with [a person or] people: Tinder is one suggestion, and Breivik is open for [his] idea that he would not need to use his (real) name (on Tinder); Breivik talked about his wish for an animal in his cell: he had [asked or] petitioned for a dog or a goat or a miniature pig; Breivik received three birds—common parakeets (and they stay in the hallway[248] outside his prison cell);[247] Breivik said that "The birds were a signal to me, that I shall never [have or] receive meaningful relations—this is what you [will be getting—or] get"; Breivik said that the birds are better than nothing, but he [would rather have, or] wishes for a mammal.[247]
Breivik testified that he is using antidepressants [medication] and that he is struggling with thoughts about taking his own life; with a voice that was [choked up or] choked (gråtkvalt) while crying, he talked about a life that was difficult to live.[243] Another media outlet said that Breivik's lawyer said earlier [in the trial] that Breivik has lost his [appetite or desire] to live; when Breivik testified about that, Breivik cried; He touched his face and said that he is a human being, despite what he has done.[247] Breivik said that "There are many pleasant people that work [... at his prison], but in the end it is not enough to be offered to" play cards.[243] On several occasions, Breivik's lawyer [had to, or] must[247] interrupt Breivik, and ask Breivik to answer the questions (that the lawyer is asking). One of the prosecuting attorneys asked how Breivik views [Breivik's attack in 2011, or] "July 22"; Breivik replied that "I was radicalised over two years. I am very sorry about [my actions, or] the actions. If this is my future, then I am willing to give up politics. But [the authorities or] you say that it makes no difference, no matter what"; Breivik replied to other questions from one of the prosecuting attorneys: Breivik still has [views or] opinions that are Right Extreme.[247]
A recent report by PST (that remained classified until the first day of trial), was referred to in court; In the report, Breivik is characterised as a saint in international circles of the Extreme Right; Breivik said that "PST is not saying that I am still dangerous, but they are saying that I have an inspirational effect. They are not accusing me anymore of having terrorist intentions any longer. Of course I am dangerous, but it is not I that is dangerous, [but rather] it is the character about me that is being cultivated by the Extreme Right".[243] Another news outlet said that Breivik agrees that he is still dangerous, but in his opinion that is something that he [can not do anything about, or he] "does not get anything done about that", according to media; Media said that "Breivik's prison officers—daily [log or] write a log about what Breivik has done and said"; [Prosecutor] Kristoffer Nerland said the government's view is that much of what Breivik's lawyer said (on the previous day), is in the ballpark (omtrentlig) or inaccurate. They think that the conditions under which Breivik is serving his sentence is much better than what was said in court. Breivik's lawyer disagrees, and said that "[The prosecutor or] the government is not listening. They are saying that we have launched a lawsuit so that Breivik will get to meet other inmates [who have killed or] are killing—that is not true. Listen [closer] before you say that I am speaking [untruths or] untrue", Breivik's lawyer said to [prosecutor] Nerland.[246][247] Breivik's lawyer accused the prosecutor for [not being attentive or] doing other things, while Breivik's lawyer was presenting the case (during the previous day), and Breivik's lawyer said to the prosecutor: "Can you [please] stop. You are ridiculing my lawsuit, also you have not been listening for what this lawsuit is actually about. These are [complicated or] difficult matters"; In the recess, his lawyer said that he (the lawyer) does not get to view all the documents of the case, but the government has access to all the documents.[247]
Other things that Breivik said on the stand:
Breivik's lawyer showed the court, copies of two letters that the lawyer called private, and which (in the lawyer's opinion) should not have been confiscated by the prison authorities.[243] One of the prosecuting attorneys did not want to say how many [of Breivik's] letters that the prison has confiscated.[243]
Analysis of Breivik's testimony: Breivik appears different in this trial compared to the previous ones, according to Olav Rønneberg (crime commentator at NRK); furthermore, gone are the propaganda and the Nazi salutes.[248] Other reactions to Breivik's testimony: Breivik's lawyer said about that people who have had much contact with Breivik have not experienced him (as) depressed or suicidal: Breivik has expressed to the lawyer that Breivik "has problems finding the meaning with [life or] living on. He also [wishes or] wished to appear as a strong person that does not wish to show weakness"; Furthermore, "I know that his reactions are real. They are nothing but real. He has been medicated against depression consistently (konsekvent) [during] the last years".[249] Martine Aurdal reported that Breivik has "no credibility as a repenting sinner. But that is not the core [of the 2024 trial, or] this case"; furthermore, she reported that this trial is different, and that in the other trials Breivik was "spreading his propaganda, through right-wing salutes, symbols and messages".[250]
Other information regarding Breivik (and surfacing during the trial): In one meeting with a prisoner [from another prison section], Breivik fried waffles and discussed World War II; that other prisoner was later released.[248]
Day 3 of the trial: The chief of Ringerike Prison testified that the prison is steering toward[251] easing the [security measures or] security around Breivik, and transferring him to [the prison's main prison population, or transferring him to] ordinary lukket avdeling;[252] furthermore, there is no schedule in regard to when that might happen.
An inspector at the prison testified that Breivik appears as a [leader-like figure, or] lederperson.[249]
The prison guard in charge of the SHS section at the prison, said that [the prison guards, or] "the employees" and Breivik always have dinner together.[249] Furthermore, they have breakfast together [ during the workweek or] on normal[251] days. Furthermore, "Breivik says that he experiences the employees as family", according to that section leader.[249]
Breivik stopped seeing the prison visitor in Q1 2023, and that person testified.[148] (On the third day of trial, media revealed his name.)[148] The prison visitor testified that Breivik and he met about 400 times and that the conversations lasted around 700 hours; he referred to Breivik as Anders; Earlier in the trial, Breivik said that it appeared that the visitor had a list of words that he could use to provoke Breivik with, including words such as child-killer; the witness, who is in his fifties, rejected Breivik's [suspicion/idea about a list].[249]
Day 4: a psychiatrist testified that she has counseled Breivik at the prison, 21 times and most of those since late summer 2023;[253] she is a chief physician of a department at an [outpatient] public psychiatric clinic.[254] A psychologist testified later.[255]
Closing arguments: Breivik's [main] lawyer said that [prisoners] have the right to create [new, personal] relationships, [... in addition to having the possibility for] keeping personal relationships.[255]
Breivik's [secondary] lawyer referred to the cases regarding two Italian mafia bosses that got lifetime sentences; furthermore, the first one was under a strict regime of isolation, yet he still was in a [prison section, or] fellowship consisting of a couple of other prisoners, and he got family visits.[255] [The first] one is Francesco Madonia (d. 2007).[256] Furthermore, the other one, also got phone calls with his family, and he got out of isolation after 12 years; She added that Breivik had to wait for nine years, before he was even allowed to see another prisoner; furthermore, trial testimony [in 2024] has shown that there is no indication of an increase in fellowship [with other prisoners] in the near future.[255]
Breivik's [main] lawyer said that Breivik can not do anything about the [alleged] symbolic power [of Breivik] that one of the [two] recent PST-reports, paints; furthermore, if the report were to lead the way in regard to Breivik's future, then [his current prison conditions, or] this will last into eternity.[255] Furthermore, when there has been no signs [in prison] of violence or hostage taking, then the [authorities] should ease-up on things like bars [in the visitation room] and stab-proof vests [for the prison officers, that are not working in the main prison population].[255] Breivik wishes to exchange letters with people outside prison, including people that he had met in prison [but have later been released]; furthermore, Breivik's [main] lawyer mentioned [the confiscated letter, or] the letter that Breivik wanted to send to a former inmate (who was transferred to another prison); furthermore, the lawyer said that it is a letter between two people that [have or] had a personal relationship, and the letter is entirely without ideology or politics.[255] In regard [to a pet], Breivik wants an animal with fur [but that was rejected by authorities as of 2023, and he only received access to parakeets].[256]
Prosecuting attorney said that in the case of Salvatore Enea (from 2009), the verdict found no violation of paragraph 3 of ECHR.[257]
Breivik's lawyer said in the final rebuttal, that [a police report was made about Breivik, or he] was reported "for threats against prison guards and prison administrators" during a period last year; furthermore during that period Breivik had a pause in regard to his being medicated with fluoxetine the active ingredient of Prozac; the lawyer added that "I perceive that he broke down. He was in deep despair"; the lawyer added that he (the lawyer) feels that Breivik was treated in an inhumane manner, in that period.[257]
Olav Rønneberg, commentator at NRK, referred to "a headache for the [... authorities]. For how long can one hold" Breivik "almost completely [sic] isolated from contact with other prisoners?"; furthermore, Breivik "and his lawyers" think that Breivik is developing [illness or] damages due to the conditions under which he is serving his prison sentence; furthermore, Breivik and [his legal team] have some support in previous verdicts [regarding the earlier lawsuits with the same topic as the current lawsuit]—even though Breivik's previous lawsuit was rejected in the supreme court and in the human rights court in Strasbourg, both those courts made annotations; furthermore, the section (that deals with appeals, ankeutvalget) at the supreme court, wrote in its verdict that six years of isolation from other prisoners, is [an extremely long time or] "extremely long", while from Strasbourg the annotation said that one can not isolate (a prisoner from other prisoners) for ever; furthermore, now Breivik has been in isolation for over twice as long (as the six years of isolation, which was the subject of the first lawsuit).[248]
The view of Breivik's lawyer is, according to media, that the Norwegian government is violating Breivik's human rights in regard to prohibitions against torture and inhumane treatment, and for having violated Breivik's rights in regard to personal life and family life.[258]
The trial ended on 12 January 2024.[257] On 15 February, it was determined his human rights were not being violated and he will still be kept under isolation.[43][44] The trial in court of appeal, is scheduled for December 2024.
In April 2024, the court suggested that his trial regarding the possibility for parole, be postponed until November; The main lawyer of the government—in Breivik's 2024 lawsuit—had started a relationship with the psychologist who made the risk assessment of Breivik; That lawyer will not handle the appeal, and a new risk assessment will be made by different experts.[259]
Earlier, Breivik's lawyer had been informed by different sources that the major[260] witness (psychologist Inni Rein) in Breivik's trial (in January), was in a relationship with the main lawyer of the government; Breivik's lawyer then demanded that a new pair of expert witnesses for the government to be appointed, as replacements; The government replaced the expert witnesses.
The trial will start in November 2024 in Ringerike, Asker og Bærum District Court.[261][262]
Breivik will get to meet the members of court, when the members come (on day one of the five-day trial) to inspect his prison conditions; On the same day, there is an aim [or intention,] that Breivik on that day will get to testify in person (and in the prison gymnasium); The other days, the court will not convene in the prison, and Breivik will be able to take part in the trial, by video link; the authorities has cited saving money, as a main reason for where the court will be convening.[41]
Breivik will not be transported [out of the prison, and to the city]; the government has cited saving money, as a main reason for not transporting Breivik.[41]
The authorities have removed (from the case), the government's main lawyer from the January 2024 trial.[260]
Breivik is receiving pro bono legal aid (as of 2024) from the law firm of Øystein Storrvik—his lawyer since 2014.[234][263][264] Previously, the firm of Geir Lippestad did pro bono representation of Breivik after the 2012 trial.[265] Legal aid during criminal trials has been paid by the government, as is the norm in the country.
On 23 March 2013, Breivik's mother died from complications from cancer.[266] On the same day media said that mother and son "took farewell during a meeting at Ila last week. Breivik was permitted to move himself out from behind the glass wall of the visit room—to give his mother a farewell hug".[267] Breivik asked prison officials for permission to attend his mother's funeral service;[268] permission was denied.[269]
Janne Kristiansen, then Chief of the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), said Breivik "deliberately desisted from violent exhortations on the net [and] has more or less been a moderate, and has neither been part of any extremist network."[270] He is reported to have written many posts on the Islam-critical[271] website document.no.[272] He also attended a meeting of "Documents venner" (Friends of Document), affiliated with the website, in late 2009,[273] and reportedly sought to start a Norwegian version of the Tea Party movement in cooperation with the owners of document.no.[274]
After expressing initial interest, they turned down his proposal because he did not have the contacts he promised.[274] Due to the media attention on his Internet activity following the 2011 attacks, document.no compiled a complete list of comments made by Breivik on its website between September 2009 and June 2010.[275] Breivik was also very active writing on the neo-Nazi websites Stormfront—with several thousand posts[276]—and nordisk.nu,[277] as well as mainstream newspapers such as Verdens Gang and Aftenposten.[278]
Six hours before the attacks, Breivik posted a picture of himself as a Knight Templar officer in a uniform festooned with a gold aiguillette and multiple medals he had not been awarded.[279] In the video, he included an animation depicting Islam as a Trojan Horse in Europe.[280] The video, which promotes fighting against Islam, shows Breivik wearing a wetsuit and holding a semi-automatic weapon.[281]
Breivik prepared a document titled 2083: A European Declaration of Independence.[282] It runs to 1,518 pages and is credited to "Andrew Berwick" (an Anglicization of Breivik's name).[283][284] Breivik admitted in court that it was mostly other people's writings he had copied and pasted from different websites.[285] The file was e-mailed to 1,003 addresses about 90 minutes before the bomb blast in Oslo.[282][286] The document describes two years of preparation of unspecified attacks, supposedly planned for late 2011, involving a rented Volkswagen Crafter van (small enough not to require a truck driving licence) loaded with 1,160 kilograms (2,560 lb) of ammonium nitrate/fuel oil explosive (ANFO), a Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle, a Glock 34 pistol, personal armour (including a shield), caltrops, and police insignias. It reported Breivik spent thousands of hours gathering email addresses from Facebook for distribution of the document, and that he rented a farm as a cover for a fake farming company buying fertilizer (three tons for producing explosives and three tons of a harmless kind to avoid suspicion) and as a lab. It describes burying a crate with the armour in the woods in July 2010, collecting it on 4 July 2011, and abandoning his plan to replace it with survival gear because he did not have a second pistol. It also expresses support for far-right groups such as the English Defence League[282] and paramilitaries such as the Scorpions in Serbia.[287]
The introductory chapter of the manifesto asserts that political correctness is responsible for social rot. He blames the Frankfurt School for the promulgation of political correctness, which he identifies with "cultural Marxism". Parts of these sections are plagiarized from Political Correctness: A Short History of an Ideology by Paul Weyrich's Free Congress Foundation.[288][289] Major parts of the compendium are attributed to the pseudonymous Norwegian blogger Fjordman, while Serbian writer, Srđa Trifković, is quoted in a number of places.[290][291] The text also copies sections of the Unabomber manifesto, without giving credit, while replacing the words "leftists" with "cultural Marxists" and "black people" with "muslims".[292][293] The New York Times described American influences in the writings, observing that the compendium mentions the anti-Islamist American Robert Spencer 64 times and cites Spencer's works at great length.[294] The work of Bat Ye'or is frequently cited.[295] Conservative blogger Pamela Geller is also mentioned as a source of inspiration.[294] Breivik blames feminism for allowing the erosion of the fabric of European society[31] and advocates a restoration of patriarchy which he claims would save European culture.[31][296]
India, and in particular Hindu nationalism, figures repeatedly in the manifesto where he expresses praise and admiration for Hindu nationalist groups. He claimed to have attempted to reach out to Indians through email and Facebook.[297][298] In his writings Breivik also states that he wants to see European policies on multiculturalism and immigration more similar to those of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan[299] which he said are "not far from cultural conservatism and nationalism at its best".[300] He expressed his admiration for the "monoculturalism" of Japan and for Japan and South Korea's refusal to accept refugees.[301][302] The Jerusalem Post describes his support for Israel as a "far-right Zionism".[303] He calls all "nationalists" to join in the struggle against "cultural Marxists/multiculturalists".[27] He also expressed his admiration of the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, finding him "a fair and resolute leader worthy of respect", though he was "unsure at this point whether he has the potential to be our best friend or our worst enemy." Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov has denounced Breivik's actions as the "delirium of a madman".[304]
Benjamin R. Teitelbaum, former professor of Nordic Studies (current professor of musicology) at the University of Colorado, argues that several parts of the manifesto suggest that Breivik was concerned about race, not only about Western culture or Christianity, labelling him as a white nationalist.[305]
Thomas Hegghammer of the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment described the ideologies of Breivik as "not fitting the established categories of right-wing ideology, like white supremacism, ultranationalism or Christian fundamentalism", but more akin to pan-nationalism and a "new doctrine of civilisational war".[306] Norwegian social scientist Lars Gule characterised Breivik as a "national conservative, not a Nazi".[307] Pepe Egger of the think-tank Exclusive Analysis says "the bizarre thing is that his ideas, as Islamophobic as they are, are almost mainstream in many European countries".[308]
In one section of the manifesto titled "Battlefield Wikipedia", Breivik explained the importance of using Wikipedia as a venue for disseminating views and information to the general public,[309] although the Norwegian professor Arnulf Hagen claims that this was a document that he had copied from another author and that Breivik was unlikely to be a contributor to Wikipedia.[310] According to the leader of the Norwegian chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation an account belonging to Breivik has been identified.[311] On the second day of his trial, Breivik cited Wikipedia as the main source for his worldview.[312]
Breivik's manifesto 2083: A European Declaration of Independence circulated in online fascist forums where strategies were set and tactics debated.[313] Australian terrorist Brenton Harrison Tarrant, who killed 51 people (all Muslims) and injured 50 more during the Christchurch mosque shootings at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, mentioned Breivik in his manifesto The Great Replacement as one of the far-right mass murderers and killers he supports. Tarrant said he "only really took true inspiration from Knight Justiciar Breivik" even going as far as to claim "brief contact" with him and his organization Knights' Templar.[314][315] With the exception of the Christchurch shootings, Breivik's influence on the tactics of far-right terrorists appeared to be rather limited.[316]
Breivik had been active on several anti-Islamic and nationalist blogs, including document.no,[317][318][319] and was a regular reader of Gates of Vienna, the Brussels Journal and Jihad Watch.[320] He cited Jihad Watch 162 times in his 2011 manifesto,[321] and cited Daniel Pipes and the Middle East Forum a further 18 times.[322] Breivik frequently praised the writings of blogger Fjordman.[323] He used Fjordman's thinking to justify his actions, citing him 111 times in the manifesto.[324] In 2016, however, Breivik stated that he had in reality been a "national socialist", or Nazi, since age twelve, read Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf at age fourteen, and that he had in later years only disguised himself as a counter-jihadist.[325] In 2022, he blamed the neo-Nazi organisation Blood & Honour for having radicalised him to the use of violence, and that this group carried the main responsibility for the terror attacks.[326]
After studying several militant groups, including the IRA, ETA and others, Breivik suggests far-right militants should adopt al-Qaeda's methods, learn from their success, and avoid their mistakes.[327][328] Breivik described al-Qaeda as the "most successful revolutionary force in the world" and praised their "cult of martyrdom".[312] He stated that the European Union is a project to create "Eurabia"[329][330][331] and describes the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia as being authorised by "criminal western European and American leaders".[332] In his writings, Breivik stated that "the Battle of Vienna in 1683 should be celebrated as the Independence Day for all Western Europeans as it was the beginning of the end for the second Islamic wave of Jihads".[333] The manifesto urges the Hindu nationalists to drive Muslims out of India.[334] It demands the forced deportation of all Muslims from Europe, based on the model of the Beneš decrees.[33][335]
In a letter Breivik sent to international media in 2014, he stated that he had exploited "counterjihadist" rhetoric as a means to protect "ethno-nationalists" and instead start a media hunt against "anti-nationalist counterjihadist"-supporters, in a strategy he calls "double psychology".[169] Breivik further stated that he strives for a "pure Nordic ideal", advocating the establishment of a similar party in Norway to the neo-Nazi Party of the Swedes, and identifying himself as a part of "Western Europe's fascist movement".[169] Moreover, he stated that his "support" for Israel is limited for it to function as a place to deport "disloyal Jews".[169] During the trial in 2012, Breivik listed as his influences a number of neo-Nazi activists, as well as perpetrators of attacks against immigrants and leftists, considering them "heroes".[336][337] In 2019, he claimed to have converted to democratic right-wing populism.[338] This has later been disputed since he still identifies as a "national socialist" and is possibly "more radical" than before with advocacy for white separatism.[339]
On 17 April 2012, when asked by Lawyer Siv Hallgren if he is religious, Breivik answered in the affirmative. Later, during the same conversation, he stated: "I am Christian. I believe in God, but I am a bit religious, but not especially religious."[340] Breivik has later described his religious faith as being Odinism, a neopagan belief.[167][168][341] While Breivik was frequently described in the media as a "Christian fundamentalist",[342][343][344][345][346] such assertions were disputed in a number of sources,[347] and Breivik has later denied it, stating in letters to Norwegian newspaper Dagen that he "is not, and has never been a Christian", and that he thinks there are few things in the world more "pathetic" than "the Jesus-figure and his message".[167] He said he prays and sacrifices to Odin, and identifies his religion as Odinism.[167]
Following his arrest, Breivik was characterised by analysts as being a right-wing extremist with anti-Muslim views and a deep-seated hatred of Islam,[348] who considered himself a knight dedicated to stemming the tide of Muslim immigration into Europe.[349][350] At the same time, Breivik said both during his trial and in his manifesto to have been inspired by jihadist groups, and stated his willingness to work together with groups like Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabaab in order to conduct attacks with weapons of mass destruction against Western targets.[351][352][353]
Breivik was an active member of an Oslo shooting club between 2005 and 2007, and from 2010. According to the club, which banned him for life after the attacks, Breivik took part in thirteen organized training sessions and one competition since June 2010.[354] The club states that it does not evaluate the members' suitability regarding possession of weapons.[355]
At the time of the attacks, Breivik was a member of the Lodge of St. Olaf at the Three Columns in Oslo[356] and had displayed photographs of himself in partial Masonic regalia on his Facebook profile.[357][358] In interviews after the attacks, his lodge said it had only minimal contact with him, and that when made aware of Breivik's membership, Grand Master of the Norwegian Order of Freemasons, Ivar Skaar, issued an edict immediately excluding him from the fraternity based upon the acts he carried out and the values that appear to have motivated them.[359][360] According to the Lodge records, Breivik took part in a total of four meetings between his initiation in February 2007 and his exclusion from the order (one each to receive the first, second, and third degrees, and one other meeting)[361] and held no offices or functions within the Lodge.[362] Skaar said that although Breivik was a member of the Order, his actions showed that he was in no way a Mason.[361]
Breivik became a member of the Progress Party (FrP) in 1999. He paid his membership dues for the last time in 2004, and was removed from the membership lists in 2006. During his time in the Progress Party, he held two positions in the Progress Party's youth organisation FpU: he was the chair of the local Vest Oslo branch from January to October 2002, and a member of the board of the same branch from October 2002 until November 2004.[363][364][365] After the attack, the Progress Party immediately distanced itself from Breivik's actions and ideas.[366] At a 2013 press conference, Ketil Solvik-Olsen said that Breivik "left us [the party] because we were too liberal".[367]
Breivik claimed he had contact with the far-right English Defence League (EDL), a movement in the United Kingdom that has been accused of Islamophobia. He allegedly had extensive links with senior EDL members[368] and wrote that he attended an EDL demonstration in Bradford.[369] On 26 July 2011, EDL leader Tommy Robinson denounced Breivik and his attacks and has denied any official links with him.[370]
On 31 July 2011, Interpol asked Maltese police to investigate Paul Ray, a former EDL member who blogs under the name "Lionheart". Ray conceded that he may have been an inspiration for Breivik, but deplored his actions.[371][372] In an online discussion on the Norwegian website Document.no on 6 December 2009, Breivik proposed establishing a Norwegian version of the EDL. Breivik saw this as the only way to stop left-wing radical groups like Blitz and SOS Rasisme from "harassing" Norwegian cultural conservatives.[373] Following the establishment of the European Defence League, the Norwegian Defence League (NDL) launched in 2010. Breivik indeed became a member of this organization under the pseudonym "Sigurd Jorsalfar".[374] Former head of the NDL, Lena Andreassen, claimed that Breivik was ejected from the organization when she took over as leader in March 2011 because he was too extreme.[375]
In his manifesto and during interrogation, Breivik claimed membership in an "international Christian military order", which he called the new Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici (PCCTS, Knights Templar). According to Breivik, the order was established as an "anti-Jihad crusader-organisation" that "fights" against "Islamic suppression" in London in April 2002 by nine men: two Englishmen, a Frenchman, a German, a Dutchman, a Greek, a Russian, a Norwegian (apparently Breivik), and a Serb (supposedly the initiator, not present, but represented by Breivik). The compendium gives a "2008 estimate" that there are between 15 and 80 "Justiciar Knights" in Western Europe, and an unknown number of civilian members, and Breivik expects the order to take political and military control of Western Europe.[376]
Breivik gave his own code name in the organisation as Sigurd and that of his assigned "mentor" as Richard, after the twelfth-century crusaders and kings Sigurd Jorsalfar of Norway and Richard the Lionheart of England.[377] He called himself a one-man cell of this organisation, and claimed that the group has several other cells in Western countries, including two more in Norway.[100] On 2 August 2011, Breivik offered to provide information about these cells, but on unrealistic preconditions.[378]
After an intense investigation assisted internationally by several security agencies, the Norwegian police did not find any evidence a PCCTS network existed, or that an alleged 2002 London meeting ever took place. The police concluded Breivik's claim was a figment of his imagination because of his schizophrenia diagnosis, and were confident that he had no accessories. Breivik continued to insist he belonged to an order and that his one-man cell was "activated" by another clandestine cell.[379] On 14 August 2012, several Norwegian politicians and media outlets received an email from someone claiming to be Breivik's "deputy", demanding that Breivik be released and making more threats against Norwegian society.[380]
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