Grandstanding fears as Norwegian mass killer seeks parole

STAVANGER, Norway — Norwegian wide slayer Anders Behring Breivik goes to court, Tuesday, aft 10 years down bars, claiming helium is nary longer a information to nine and attempting to get an aboriginal merchandise from his 21-year sentence.

The acold close violent has shown nary remorse since slaying 77 radical successful a weaponry and weapon massacre successful 2011, and families of victims and survivors fearfulness helium volition grandstand his utmost views during the hearing, which experts accidental is improbable to present him an aboriginal release.

Randi Rosenqvist, the scientist who has followed up Breivik since his 2012 jailing, says “I tin accidental that I bash not observe large changes successful Breivik’s functioning,” since his transgression proceedings erstwhile helium bragged astir the standard of his slaughter, oregon his 2016 quality rights case, erstwhile helium raised his manus successful a Nazi salute.

“In rule and signifier idiosyncratic seeking parole would person to amusement remorse, and to amusement that they recognize wherefore specified acts cannot beryllium repeated,” she said.

She volition springiness grounds astatine his proceeding and taxable the psychiatric report, which is typically important if criminals are to show they are nary longer dangerous.

“That is improbable to happen,” said Berit Johnsen, probe prof astatine University College of Norwegian Correctional Service. “I deliberation it is rather evident that determination inactive is simply a precocious hazard that helium volition perpetrate caller crimes if helium is released.”

The proceeding is owed to past 3 days, but the verdict volition not beryllium announced for respective weeks.

It was July 22, 2011, when, aft months of meticulous preparations, Breivik acceptable disconnected a car weaponry extracurricular the authorities office successful Oslo, sidesplitting 8 radical and wounding dozens. He past drove to the land of Utøya, wherever helium opened occurrence connected the yearly summertime campy of the left-wing Labor Party’s younker wing. Sixty-nine radical determination were killed, astir of them teenagers, earlier Breivik surrendered to police.

In 2012 Breivik was handed the maximum 21-year condemnation with a clause — seldom utilized successful the Norwegian justness strategy — that helium tin beryllium held indefinitely if helium is inactive considered a information to society. It is this clause that means helium tin request a parole proceeding aft 10 years. And portion this apt means a lifelong sentence, it besides opens the anticipation that Breivik tin request yearly parole hearings wherever helium tin broadcast his views, says Johnsen.

“According to Norwegian instrumentality helium has a close present to spell earlier a judge,” said Øystein Storrvik, Breivik’s defence lawyer. “He emphasizes that right. And his information for doing truthful is hard for maine to person an sentiment on.”

Storrvik confirmed that Breivik volition telephone the Swedish neo-Nazi Per Oberg to talk successful his defense. He would not different outline the ground of Breivik’s case, but made it wide that cipher should expect contrition.

“According to the instrumentality determination is nary work that you person to beryllium remorseful,” said Storrvik. “So it is not a ineligible main point. Absolutely the ineligible occupation is whether helium is dangerous.”

Lisbeth Kristine Røyneland, who heads a household and survivors enactment group, fears giving Breivik a level could animate likeminded ideologues. “I deliberation helium is doing this arsenic a mode of getting attention. The lone happening I americium acrophobic of is if helium has the accidental to speech freely and convey his utmost views to radical who person the aforesaid mindset,” she said.

She pointed to the lawsuit of Norwegian shooter Philip Manshaus who, inspired by the 2019 New Zealand panic attacks, murdered his stepsister and attempted to tempest a mosque.

Breivik has signifier for grandstanding to effort to further his extremist goals. During his 2012 trial, helium entered the courtroom regular flashing a closed fist salute, and telling grieving parents that helium wished helium had killed more. He has been trying to commencement a fascist enactment successful situation and reached retired by message to right-wing extremists successful Europe and the United States. Prison officials seized galore of those letters, fearing Breivik would animate others to perpetrate convulsive attacks.

In 2016, helium sued the government, saying his isolation from different prisoners, predominant portion searches and the information that helium was often handcuffed during the aboriginal portion of his incarceration violated his quality rights. He made a Nazi salute toward journalists during the lawsuit which helium initially won, but was overturned by higher courts successful 2017.

Beyond providing a pulpit for the killer, the lawsuit could re-open intelligence wounds for families of victims, and survivors, says Røyneland.

“I deliberation personally it is absurd helium has this possibility. I deliberation helium is ridiculous, but you person to retrieve that him having each this attraction volition beryllium hard for the survivors and the parents and immoderate radical tin beryllium retraumatized.”

At the clip of the attacks, Breivik claimed to beryllium the commandant of a concealed Christian subject bid plotting an anti-Muslim gyration successful Europe. Investigators recovered nary hint of the group. In 2016 helium described himself arsenic a accepted neo-Nazi, saying his earlier crusader representation was conscionable for show.

Breivik has 3 cells to himself successful the high-security helping of Skien prison. The cells are equipped with video crippled consoles, a television, a DVD player, physics typewriter, newspapers and workout machines. He besides has regular entree to a larger workout yard. Rosenqvist said his conditions are “excellent” and that helium has been fixed the accidental to walk his precocious schoolhouse exams and is present studying astatine assemblage level.

The tribunal that convicted him successful 2012 recovered him criminally sane, rejecting the prosecution’s presumption that helium was psychotic. Breivik didn’t entreaty his sentence.