Norwegian killer Anders Breivik has been accepted onto a political science course at the University of Oslo.
Breivik, who killed 77 people in Oslo and at a Labour Party youth summer camp on the island of Utoya in 2011, will be enrolled at the course alongside survivors of his attack and relatives of victims, RT reports.
The Local reports that under Norwegian law, prisoners are entitled to receive a university education if they meet the academic requirements. However, Breivik will spend the course studying from his cell and will be denied access to online resources.
“The communication between the university and Breivik will take place via a contact person in prison,” university rector Petter Ottersen said.
Breivik is also unlikely to receive a degree at the end of the course as five out of the nine modules needed to pass would require attendance at group seminars.
Breivik went on his killing spree claiming he was fighting multiculturalism and a “Muslim invasion” of Norway. He is serving a 21-year prison sentence that can be extended indefinitely if he is deemed to pose a continuing threat.
Lisbeth Kristine Røyneland, the leader of a victims’ support group, told AFP: “It hurts that he is able to study but it’s like that in Norway,” adding that the announcement “hurts even more” as it comes just days after the anniversary of the attacks.
“But whether he reads novels or political science books doesn’t matter to us as long as he remains behind bars.”