Anders Behring Breivik to be charged with crimes against humanity?

A guest post by Jake Taylor

Norwegian police are considering charging Anders Behring Breivik, the man who admitted killing 76 people in Friday's attacks in Norway with crimes against humanity, prosecutor Christian Hatlo has said.

Anders Behring Breivik is currently facing terror-related charges, which carry a maximum sentence of 21 years in jail, however, if convicted of crimes against humanity he could receive a 30-year sentence, Mr Hatlo told the Aftenposten newspaper.

In a press conference this morning, Breivik’s defence lawyer has stated that his client is likely insane. He noted that it was too early to determine whether Breivik would plead insanity, but his statement could preview a potential line of defence in the upcoming case.

Meanwhile in a hearing yesterday, a judge ordered that he be detained for eight weeks - four of them in solitary confinement - while police investigate whether he acted alone.

Breivik's extremist anti-Muslim views have reignited a debate within Norway on how best to assimilate immigrants into this small Scandinavian country. The number of immigrants in Norway almost tripled between 1995 and 2010, and the country recently passed stricter immigration and asylum laws.

For more information:

http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/article4183973.ece

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14288941

http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2011/07/norway-killings