Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, responsible for the deaths of 77 individuals in a bombing and shooting spree in 2011, was present in court on Tuesday for a parole hearing. This marked his second attempt at seeking freedom after spending over a decade incarcerated.
Currently 45 years old, Breivik, serving a maximum 21-year sentence, became eligible for a parole hearing under Norwegian law after completing 10 years in prison. Since commencing his prison term in 2012, he has been held in isolation and has repeatedly claimed that his treatment violates the European Convention on Human Rights, though these assertions have been consistently dismissed by the courts.
Upon his arrival at the court, Breivik, attired in a black suit, displayed a shaved letter Z on the side of his head, a symbol associated with Russian military vehicles in Ukraine, and held a poster conveying a political message.
Authorities have opposed Breivik’s parole request, citing a ‘qualified and real’ risk of him committing another serious violent offense if released. The prosecutor highlighted that Breivik has shown no change in his ideological beliefs or political stance.
Despite his crimes, Norwegian authorities maintain that Breivik is entitled to the same rights as any other prisoner, emphasizing the importance of upholding the nation’s foundational principles, including the rule of law and freedom of speech.
Transferred to Ringerike prison two years ago, Breivik is housed in a two-story facility equipped with various amenities such as a kitchen, dining room, TV room with an Xbox, and a fitness area with exercise equipment. Additionally, the complex is home to three parakeets.
The parole hearing is being conducted in a temporary courtroom within the Ringerike prison gymnasium, where a similar session took place in January 2022. The date for the ruling on Breivik’s parole application remains undisclosed.
In 2012, Breivik was convicted of mass murder and terrorism for perpetrating a bombing in Oslo that claimed eight lives and a shooting spree on Utøya island where he fatally shot 69 individuals at a youth camp affiliated with the center-left Labor Party.
