It's hard to accept that mass murderer Anders Breivik isn't mad. Surely someone who murders 77 people can't be sane, but his conviction was based on the premise that he was not psychotic at the time of the killings.
Breivik told his lawyers to strenuously argue that he knew exactly what he was doing at the time, while the prosecution insisted he must be insane to carry out such a heinous crime. The defence won and he was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
Yesterday he was back in a make-shift court to begin his human rights case against the Norwegian government and as soon as his handcuffs were removed, he turned to the media and gave a Nazi salute.
He says his human rights have been violated by holding him in isolation in Skien prison. His lawyer claims he has been subject to inhuman and degrading treatment which has forced him to drop out of his political science course at the University of Oslo.
His cell includes three sections for sleeping, exercise and study. He complains that he has no views and said "I highly doubt there are worse detention facilities in Norway."
At his trial four years ago he used a clenched fist and told the world he was fighting to protect Norway and Europe from Muslim immigration.
Breivik is the only inmate in the high security wing of Skien prison. He is allowed some mail correspondence but it is strictly controlled and he's not allowed to communicate with other right-wing extremists.
The government says the restriction are well within the European Convention of Human Rights and are needed to make sure he isn't able to build military extremist networks from prison - something he would be very good at and knows there would be many like-minded people around the world lining up to join.
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