"The Telegraph": Anders Behring Breivik might avoid jail after psychiatrists declared him insane.

The psychiatrists who examined Norwegian extremist Anders Breivik, suspected of committing a double terrorist attack in July, have diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia. Being insane Breivik cannot take responsibility for his actions in the court and be criminally liable. The general prosecutor said that Breivik should be sent to life-long treatment in a high-security mental clinic. This means that the Norwegian extremist may escape criminal punishment.

The forensic doctors conducted 13 interviews with him. They analyzed his mental state and came to the conclusion that Breivik had been unaware of his actions when preparing his terrorist attacks. Breivik insists that the Oslo bombing and the mass killings on the island of Utoya were “executions” committed by him “out of love for his people.”

77 people were killed, and more than 150 injured in the double terrorist attack in Norway on July the 22nd this year. First Breivik bombed government buildings in Oslo and several hours later he opened fire at people at a camp on the island of Utoya. During the first interrogations Breivik admitted that he had conducted the attacks but he refused to plead guilty. He does not consider himself to be insane either.

The conclusion of the psychiatrists should be submitted to the forensic medical commission, which is to bring the final verdict on whether Breivik is the subject to legal prosecution or he needs psychiatric treatment. Now chances are high that he will escape criminal punishment, an assistant professor at the chair of the EU law at the Moscow state juridical academy Paul Kalinichenko says.

“If they declare Breivik insane he won’t be subject to criminal punishment. Treatment in a mental clinic can’t be regarded as an alternative or a substitution of life long imprisonment. The gravity of punishment is incomparable. His fate will be in the hands of psychiatrists. The question is how serious his mental illness is. If it curable they will be cure him, if it is not he will stay in clinic for life.”

But the questions which remain – How come that a mentally ill person can get hold of weapons? How did he manage to prepare his attacks staying unnoticeable for security services, which task is to prevent extremist sentiments in the society?

The case of Anders Breivik is a good lesson to learn for entire Europe. It also should draw attention of the authorities to radical movements, the head of the center for German studies at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladislav Belov says:

“This is all about religion, multiculturalism and collision of opinions. There is at least one thing the society should try to avoid now – any radical measures which might affect the people`s interests. An attempt of the Western democracy to balance between a need to fight extremism and a need to observe democratic values is, probably, a stumbling block to the West European development: in Norway, in Germany, and in other countries which should be watched closely.”

Now Breivik is being held in solitary confinement in prison. His lawyer says that in case his client is tried, he could deserve a sign of leniency since he had surrendered to the police and helped the investigators.

Breivik’s trial is scheduled to open on April 16, 2012. He is facing 21 years in prison – the maximum sentence in Norway. If he is found guilty of a crime against humanity, his prison term could be increased to 30 years.