Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik seeks parole for a second time

Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in a 2011 bombing and shooting spree, appeared in court on Tuesday seeking parole for a second time.

Breivik, 45, has so far served 13 years of a maximum sentence of 21 years in jail, but is eligible for a parole hearing under Norwegian law after 10 years imprisonment.

Authorities have said the far-right extremist's parole request should be denied because there is still a "qualified and real" risk that he will commit another serious violent crime if he is released.

Arriving at court on Tuesday dressed in a black suit, Breivik displayed the letter “Z” shaved into the side of his head — a symbol associated with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — and carried a poster bearing a political message. 

Breivik has repeatedly claimed that his conditions in prison amount to inhumane treatment under the European Convention on Human Rights, although Norwegian courts have repeatedly rejected his complaints.

Authorities maintain that Breivik has the same rights as any other prisoner, asserting that treating him differently would undermine Norway’s commitment to the rule of law. 

Since 2012, Breivik has been held in isolation but was transferred two years ago to Ringerike prison, where he resides in a two story unit. His living space includes a kitchen, dining room, TV room with an Xbox, and a fitness area with exercise equipment.

The parole hearing is being conducted in a makeshift courtroom in the prison’s gym, the same venue where his previous bid for release was heard in January 2022. 

Breivik was convicted in 2012 of mass murder and terrorism for a bombing in Oslo that killed eight people, and a shooting massacre on Utøya island that killed 69 young Labor Party activists attending a summer camp.