Breivik prison conditions to remain unchanged

Oslo: Prison conditions for Anders Behring Breivik will remain unchanged for now, the prison warden said Thursday, one day after a court ruled that Norway violated the mass murderer's human rights.

The Oslo district court ruled Wednesday that Breivik, who has been held apart from other inmates for almost five years, has been subjected to "inhuman" and "degrading" treatment in contravention of the European Convention for Human Rights.

Asked by AFP if Breivik's conditions would be eased after the ruling, the warden of Skien prison Ole Kristoffer Borhaug said there would be no immediate changes as "the judgment is not yet enforceable".

The state has not yet said whether it would appeal against the court's decision, which shocked many.

Norway's most notorious inmate has been detained in high-security prison units since his bomb and gun rampage in 2011 that killed 77 people.

The court said that Breivik's "relative" isolation violated Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

After the ruling, Breivik's lawyer, Oystein Storrvik immediately requested that his client's isolation be ended.

Breivik is serving a maximum 21-year sentence -- which can be extended if he is still considered dangerous -- for killing eight people in a bombing outside a government building in Oslo and then gunning down another 69, most of them teenagers, at a Labour Youth camp on the island of Utoya on July 22, 2011.

In prison, Breivik has three cells at his disposal, which are equipped with two showers, two televisions, an Xbox, a Playstation, a typewriter, books and newspapers.

Breivik also challenged restrictions on his mail and prison visits but both points were rejected by the court.