Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in 2011, on Tuesday accused Norway of trying to "push him to suicide", choking back sobs as he insisted he's "still a human being."
"I have the impression that the government's aim is to try to push me to suicide," Breivik said on the second day of a court hearing in the lawsuit he has brought against the Norwegian state over his prison conditions.
"They are close to succeeding. I don't think I will manage to survive much longer without human relations," the 44-year-old told the court, convened for security reasons in the gymnasium of Ringerike prison where Breivik is serving his sentence.
Held apart from other inmates in high-security facilities for almost 12 years, Breivik claims his extended isolation is a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits "inhuman" and "degrading" treatment.
On July 22, 2011, Breivik set off a bomb near government offices in Oslo, killing eight people, before gunning down 69 others, mostly teens, at a Labour Party youth wing summer camp on the island of Utoya.
He was sentenced in 2012 to 21 years in prison, which can be extended as long as he is considered a threat, which was Norway's harshest sentence at the time.
At one point during his testimony on Tuesday, Breivik, who takes anti-depressants, broke down in sobs.
"I understand that ... revenge is important and that a lot of people hate me. But I'm still a human being and there are limits to what a human being can take," he said.
He said he had distanced himself from his crimes -- which he attributed to his "vulnerability" to radicalisation -- and said he thought of suicide "every day".
Regaining his composure, he went on to discuss his ideological views.
Earlier in Tuesday's proceedings, it emerged that Breivik tried to kill himself in 2020 by hanging himself with a towel, the state's lawyers said, after informing prison guards of his plan.
The Norwegian state has argued that Breivik's isolation is relative and that his prison conditions are warranted due to the risks he both poses and faces.
Breivik has access to several rooms including a kitchen, a TV room with a game console, and an exercise room.
When he requested a pet, he was provided with three budgies.
His human interactions are mostly limited to contacts with professionals such as wardens, lawyers and a chaplain.