In a recent legal ruling, Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian mass killer responsible for the bombing and shooting rampage that claimed the lives of 77 people in 2011, has lost his attempt to end the isolation conditions imposed on him by the state. The notorious neo-Nazi, who changed his name to Fjotolf Hansen, had sued the Norwegian state in January, arguing that his prison conditions violated his human rights.

The Oslo District Court, in a statement accompanying its verdict on Thursday, declared that Breivik's sentencing conditions did not violate his human rights. Currently serving a maximum 21-year sentence, with the possibility of an extension as long as he is deemed a threat to society, Breivik has been in isolation since 2012 for his heinous crimes. These crimes included using a car bomb to kill eight people in Oslo and gunning down 69 others, primarily teenagers, on Utoya island - the deadliest violence in Norway since World War II.

Despite Breivik's claims that his isolation amounted to "inhumane" punishment under the European Convention on Human Rights, the court rejected his arguments against the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security. Judge Birgitte Kolrud, in the ruling, stated that Breivik had good physical prison conditions and relatively great freedom in everyday life, emphasizing that there was no evidence of permanent damage from the punishment.

Eirik Bergstedt, the prison director, testified in court last month, describing Breivik as being "particularly well treated." The legal proceedings took place over five days at Breivik's high-security prison, located on the shore of Tyrifjorden lake, where Utoya island is also situated.

The verdict, released on Thursday, concluded that the sentencing conditions imposed on Breivik were not disproportionately burdensome. It is worth noting that Breivik has shown no remorse for his attacks and is still considered dangerous by the Norwegian authorities. The ruling immediately met with an appeal by the convicted killer, according to the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten.

This is not the first time Breivik has pursued legal action regarding his prison conditions. In 2016, the Oslo District Court initially ruled that his isolation breached his rights, but Norway's higher courts later found in favor of the state on appeal. In 2018, the European Court of Human Rights dismissed Breivik's case as "inadmissible."

Though Breivik remains isolated in prison, the recent court ruling reaffirms the judgment that his sentencing conditions are not in violation of his human rights. The case has once again prompted a somber reflection on the tragic events of 2011, as Norway continues to grapple with the lasting impact of the deadliest act of violence the country has witnessed in decades.