Breivik is playing the Norwegian state for a fool

Norwegian prisons are known world wide to be almost as good as hotels. They are even better than council homes in some countries, and in Norway they’re known to serve higher quality food than what is served in old people’s homes.

 

And somehow Norway’s worst criminal – since the war ended in 1945 – finds a reason to complain.

 

Anders Behring Breivik, who murdered 77 people in a bomb and gun attack in 2011 in the name of neo-nazism, has sued the Norwegian state for “inhumane treatment” under the European Convention of Human Rights.

 

Breivik is currently in a high security prison, isolated from other inmates, and can only meet his lawyers behind a glass wall. He has access to three cells – one for sleeping, one for studying and one for physical exercise. Tailoring the prison to his conditions costs the prison 7,3 million NOK a year – about £605,000.

 

I visited a Norwegian high security prison in 2012. When we were surprised at how nice and decent it all looked the prison manager explained to us that the mentality behind Norwegian prisons is to only take away their physical freedom, nothing else. They’re fed decent food, are able to work to make some money, they can pursue academic degrees if they wish to, and also record their own music. Foreigners who come to Norwegian prisons are shocked. They cannot comprehend that such a place is meant to be a correctional institution.

 

Don’t get me wrong, being in that prison was in no way a good experience or a place in which I would ever want to end up, but is this really a serious enough issue to sue the state over?

 

During the Norway v Breivik trial that has taken place this week, Breivik has done several things that has severely provoked the Norwegian public; myself included. He is suing the state for breaching human rights, but what he complains about is being served cold coffee and ready meals.

 

Breivik tries to portray himself as a national hero, but ends up looking like a spoilt kid who has been pampered by his parents his whole life.

 

It really is ridiculous. You want to laugh at his ludicrous outbursts, and you would – if his crimes weren’t as horrendous as they are. You can’t laugh at a terrorist who has killed 77 people. All you can do is cringe.

 

Due to Breivik’s isolation from other prisoners, psychiatry specialist Randi Rosenqvist was called in to witness on Breivik’s behalf to decide if he had so-called “isolation headache” or not. She said: “There is no sign of any sickness or illness. He is being over-dramatic.”

 

She could see no isolation injuries. According to her, ‘isolation headache’ does not even exist. But she also claimed she didn’t question he had a headache every now and then, as we all do. The cure for that are more fluids and maybe a painkiller – not suing the state.

 

Breivik is playing the state for a fool, and the Norwegian public along with it. Some have said this is just the beginning of Breivik’s lawsuits against Norway – he wants to be noticed and through the attention spread his message of neo-nazi ideals and remind the Norwegian public of his painful existence.

 

Norway is a small country and almost everyone I know knew someone or of someone who got killed or injured that day in 2011. It’s bad enough that he shows no signs of regret for ruining the lives of so many people, but now he wants more from the Norwegian state? More from the country that has the best prisons in the world?