Behring Breivik to remain in isolation until February
Ila Prison. Photo: Statsbygg
Ila prison will not yet end isolation of the accused terrorist Anders Behring Breivik.
Defender Geir Lippestad said Thursday to NRK that he will ask for an urgent meeting with Ila prison to ask for a normalization of prison conditions for his client.
Behring Breivik has been imprisoned under very strict security conditions.
Although police will not ask for renewed isolation, the prison will continue its strict security requirements.
Thus, the accused will continue to be denied access to visits, letters and media. Breivik will not be allowed to mix with other prisoners either.
“In August, the we decided on the use of a special high-security unit. This decision applies in principle until February 8. This means that Breivik will continue to be kept in isolation in prison,” says the director of the Ila prison and detention institution, Knut Bjarkeid, to NRK.
Geir Lippestad is to meet his client in prison on Friday. He will ask, among other things, for the prison management to let Breivik meet fellow prisoners at Ila.
“He is completely cut off from everyone other than his defense and those who work in the prison. At some point he must have some contact with other people, and take part in the opportunities that other prisoners have,” said Lippestad to NRK.
According Bjarkeid, it is not appropriate to let the accused meet others.
“The regulations say that he can only have contact with inmates who are in the department for very high security. He is the only one in Norway that is in the department of special high-security, and therefore he may not have contact with other inmates,” said the prison director to NRK.
Even if the isolation is very strict, Breivik has been given permission to read selected books. He has also been allowed to see a limited number of non-violent TV shows on a PC stripped of software.
This coming Monday will mark 12 weeks since Behring Breivik was brought into custody for the first time. He has served the entire period in complete isolation in accordance with court orders.
During a press conference on Thursday, the police said that they will not request a new isolation period.
“But in practice, he still zones under the same conditions because of the prison’s decision,” said prosecutor Christian Hatlo during the press conference.
Since his arrest, the accused terrorist has been interrogated 14 times for over 100 hours.
According to Hatlo there is nothing to suggest that he was not alone when he carried out the attacks against Oslo and Utøya 22 July.
The next meeting of the detention case is November 17.
Source: NRK
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