Anders Behring Breivik, responsible for Norway’s deadliest peacetime atrocity, will appear in court on Tuesday to argue for his release from prison after serving over 13 years of a 21-year sentence.
Breivik, a far-right neo-Nazi, killed 77 people in July 2011, eight with a car bomb in Oslo and the remaining 69, mostly teenagers, at a Labour Party youth camp on Utoeya island.
This marks Breivik’s second attempt at parole. He is serving the maximum sentence allowed for his crimes, with the possibility of extensions as long as he is considered a threat to society. After serving the first ten years of his sentence, he became eligible to apply for parole.
Breivik’s first attempt, in 2022, was unsuccessful. At that time, he argued he had abandoned violence but did not renounce his neo-Nazi beliefs, claiming he would pursue his white supremacist agenda through peaceful means. His second parole request will be heard at the high-security prison where he is held, located on the shores of Tyrifjorden lake, close to Utoeya. The hearing will take place in the prison’s gymnasium, with Breivik set to testify at 13:00 CET.
In addition to seeking parole, Breivik has tried to sue the Norwegian state, claiming that his solitary confinement violates his human rights. His latest effort to change his detention conditions was rejected in January, though his appeal is scheduled to be heard in December.
