Norwegian killer Anders Behring Breivik (Reuters)
The self-confessed killer of 77 people in Norway in July will appear in public for the first time at his next court hearing in Oslo on 19 September, the court said Monday.
Rejecting a police request for a closed-door hearing, as in previous court appearances, the judge ruled that the media, relatives of the victims, survivors and other people concerned will be able to attend next week's hearing dealing with the conditions of Anders Behring Breivik's detention.
There will however be some restrictions. The hearing will be closed to the general public, no photos will be allowed, and journalists in the courtroom will not be able to report any sworn statements.
Police again wanted a closed door hearing out of concern that Behring Breivik might try to communicate with any possible accomplices.
Late Monday a police official, Christian Hatlo, said they would appeal the judge's decision, according to the newspaper Verdens Gang on its website.
The far-right extremist has in the past expressed a desire to speak out in public, his lawyer has said.
The court said Monday that it does not see how the suspect's presence in public would "complicate the case by devulging elements that would harm the inquiry", judge Anne Margrethe wrote in her decision.
The judge will decide at the next hearing on prolonging Behring Breivik's detention, and whether he should remain in solitary confinement.
The 32-year-old Norwegian has admitted killing 77 people in twin attacks on 22 July, first setting off a bomb at the Labour government offices and then carrying out a shooting massacre at a Labour youth summer camp on an island near Oslo.
In a manifesto he published on the Internet just before the attacks, Behring Breivik professed his hatred for Western-style democracy, saying it had spawned the multicultural society he loathed.
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