Anders Breivik trial, sanity question

21/06/2012

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The trial of mass killer Anders Breivik in Norway is in its final throes. The 10-week trial is due to end tomorrow, June 22, 2012. For the survivors of his horrific attack on July 22, 2011, the trial has been a necessary evil. They have faced Breivik across the court room stirring up terrible memories of that fateful day.

Breivik killed  77 people, including children, in the bomb and gun rampage he launched. Loved ones of  those who died have also endured being close to Breivik during the trial. All have said that they want justice for those who died.

Deciding just what that justice will be, is the remaining job of the court.

From the start of the trial determining Breivik's state of mind prior to the attack, during the attack and since has been paramount. The verdict of the trial in expected on one of two days, either in July or August.. The disputed issue is Brevik's state of mind. The prosecution are asking that he be declared insane. If the court agrees Breivik will be placed into compulsory psychiatric care. This will mean that he will not face criminal charges for his actions in attacking so many people. In other words he will not be held criminally resposible.

Many eople will claim such a verdict will offer Breivik a soft option. However it is one he deos not want.

Brevik has maintained a not guilty plea throughout the trial. His argument is that his actions were politically motivated. The judges at the trial will have to decide if he is insane or sane and then issue the appropriate sentence.

The Juky 22 massacre is the worst in Norway's peace time history.

Tomorrow June 22, 2012, Brevik's defense team will respond to the prosecution'sclaim that Breivik is insane.


Update: June 22, 2012, the trial ends.
Today Breivik has taken to the stand to protest his sanity. He has maintained yet again that,  "he acted to stop a Muslim invasion, and has asked to be considered sane and to be acquitted."  That statement alone in many people's minds shows how insane he is.

Around 30 people, the family members of Breivik's victims walked out in protest during his testimony. They have had to listen to gut wrenching details, of the murder of their loved ones, throughout this 10-week trial. Their stance today was that Breivik had the right to speak but they did not have to listen to him. They had heard all that was relevant already.

Brevik had to formally ask to be acquitted as he does not accept any guilt. However he talked for 45 minutes detailing his political extremism and hatred of many people. Much of today's evidence, including Breivik's plea statement was not broadcast.

The judges now face the task of deciding whether or not Brevik is sane. Their verdict will be revealed on August 24, 2012.
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Anders Breivik trial Day 7

24/04/2012

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April 24, 2012, day seven of the trial of multiple killer Anders Behring Breivik in Oslo, Norway.

After giving testimony to the court for days it was the turn of Breivik to listen. Today witnesses were giving evidence on the July 22, 2011 massacre, the day when Breivik killed 77 people. The bomb attack in Oslo involved a 950-kg fertilizer bomb which caused terrible injuries to some of the dead. For members of the emergency services dealing with the aftermath of the explosion in Oslo it was carnage. More than 100 body parts wee found scattered around the area.

The day in court was once more very hard for the relatives of those killed by Breivik. Images shown of autopsies reduced many to tears. Specific images of injuries sustained were only shown to court officials and those deemed as needing to view them.

Through most of the day in court Beivik remained seemingly emotionless. A flicker of a smile flit across his face when a security guard was giving evidence. This fleeting sign of life was in response to the guard's assessment that Breivik's reason for the murders was “totally absurd.”

Police operations leader Thor Langli went on to describe the day's events in Oslo and in the government buildings. Many twists of fate led to police not reaching the island of Utoya for some time. By then 69 people had been killed on the island. Breivik has said that he was prepared to die that day and was sure that he would be killed before he carried out the Island attack. It goes without saying that it would have been so much easier, and better for many, if he had.

The trial continues and is expected to last for nine weeks.
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Anders Breivik Day Three of trial

18/04/2012

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Anders Behring Breivik is currently standing trial in Oslo Norway for the acts of terror he carried out in July 2012. Murdering 77 people for what he believed to be a political purpose, almost as a religious crusade, the court has been trying to pin him down about an alleged European network of extremists.

Day three in court began again with Breivik making his now trade mark closed fist salute. The act of defiance or political martyrdom perhaps. The man it seems is either very clever, very foolish or very mad. Maybe he is all three to differing extents.

Today, April 18, 2012, Breivik has made claims that he worked with an English mentor who he allegedly met in London during a 2002 visit. As the prosecution tried to find fault with his evidence Breivik asked not to be ridiculed. The prosecution currently is attempting to show Anders as something of a fantasist rather than a fanatic. A "Walter Mitty" character almost.

As the prosecution kept up the pressure Breivik said in an agitated manner, "I have told more to police than I wanted to about the networks," he said. "It is not in my interest to shed light on anything that could lead to other arrests." 

As the court tries to get to the heart of Breivik, that is find out just who Anders is, He continues to make wild claims. At times the courtroom has been filled with laughter at his statements. At others it has had a chilling feel to it. He claims to be a militant Christian. The two words in most people's minds would be a contradiction.  He is however plainly a racist who also belives in a pure Norwegian race. Of course he believes that he is part of this pure race.

As Breivik continues to maintain that he would carry out the attacks again there is no doubt that he is guilty of the attacks, deaths and injuries. Just what to do with him will be the problem. Much will depend upon whether in the final analysis he is deemed simply insane or evil.

For my money I would keep the cuffs on in court for one thing and deny him the closed fist salute. For another I would make sure his actual words were not reported and so deny him an audience. Of course doing that could run the risk of making him  a hero to other misguided fools.

Tags: Anders Breivik trial, day three in court, Norwegian trial, Norwegian massacre, Oslo court, Utoyea Island
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Norway trial Day Two, Breivik smugly has judge removed

17/04/2012

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The trial of mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik is dominating news reports across Europe and other parts of the world. The killing of 77 innocent people was carried out by Breivik, without a shadow of a doubt. The trial however is attempting to ascertain the man's state of mind at the time of the killings. Was he sane, a total madman, a calculated cold blooded killer, misguided or simply evil.

Today April 17, 2012 was the second day of what may become a lengthy trial. Beivik is loving his days in court. He obviously believes that he has the intelligence to be freed from all charges. He has done his research and smiles obnoxiously with each small triumph.

Today that triumph was managing to remove one of the judges from his trial. The male judge had at the time of the murders posted an online message saying that Breivik deserved the death penalty for what he had done. Anders smiled smugly as he won this point.

It will of course prove difficult if not impossible to guarantee Breivik a totally fair trial. The media attention in July 2011, when the murders took place, will have been viewed by most people. It always strikes this blogger as odd that someone who has no respect for the law of the land at all, wants to utilise it when deemed appropriate by themselves.

Breivik began today in court with his clenched fist salute. As soon as the cuffs were released he performed this action. Perhaps tomorrow they should leave the cuffs on and deny him this one small victory. His salute has been viewed as an almost Nazi salute to his extreme right wing brothers and sisters by some. For others it has been seen as an act of defiance. The same salute has been used in the past by those fighting for political freedom such as the black athletes in the 1968 Olympics. Be it purely defiance or Breivik's belief that he is fighting a political cause is unclear. It is after all a familiar left wing, anti fascist pose.

Today Anders told the court that what he did last year, that is the murders, was him "fighting a battle against multi-culturalism and acting out of "goodness, not evil".

SkyNews reporting from the court said Breivik, "Reading from a 13-page document that he wrote in custody, Anders Behring Breivik defended his massacre and called it the most "spectacular attack by a nationalist militant since World War Two".
He said he would repeat his actions again, if he could. "Yes, I would do it again," he said, adding that life in prison or dying for "his people" would be "the biggest honour".

At the core of his beliefs is racial purity. He beliefs in a white Norwegian race. He abhors mutli-culturalism. Breivik also claimed that other one man cells exist in Norway. On the stand Anders tried to turn his evidence into an excuse for a long meandering propaganda statement. The judge had to keep asking that he curtailed his offensive words and cut short his statements. Survivors and loved ones of the murdered, who were in court had a gruelling time.

Although his speech was researched and utilised history it was rambling. SkyNews reported,  "For many people, it was very surprising to hear how soft, almost nasal, his voice was. He didn't appear dangerous in any way."It was very hard to see that this softly spoken man is actually the person who murdered 77 people."

Isn't that the usual case though? 

It is going to be a long and costly trial and that's for sure.
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