Last week a Norwegian court ruled that all prisoners are equal before the law and have the right to have their human rights respected. To many this was outrageous. The prisoner in question was Anders Behring Breivik. The man who in 2011 bombed the Norwegian Government Headquarters killing 8 before going on a shooting spree on Utøya Island where the Labour Youth Party were holding their summer-camp. There he killed 69 more. I could have been the 70th. Yet I stand up for Breivik’s rights as a prisoner, and as a human.
The author, Utøya survivor Bjørn Ihler, is dedicated to peace and human rights. He currently lives in Turkey.
In the public debate, in social and professional media, among politicians and even lawyers there has been much confusion, frustration and outrage over Breivik getting his day in court. Much of this is due to what can be described as Breivik’s untimely whining over issues unrelated to the legal core of the case, such as having to eat microwaved meals and having an old Playstation.
