The victims of the massacre in Christchurch
A white supremacist who killed 51 people at two mosques in New Zealand will serve life in prison without parole – the first person in the country’s history to receive the sentence.
Australian Brenton Tarrant, 29, pleaded guilty to the murder of 51 people, attempted murder of another 40 people and one charge of terrorism.
The judge called Tarrant’s actions “inhuman”, saying he “showed no mercy”.
The attack last March, which was livestreamed, shocked the world.
Tarrant’s conviction is also the first conviction of terrorism in the history of New Zealand.
“Your crimes are so wrong that even if you are arrested until you die, it will not exhaust the demands of punishment,” Judge Cameron Mander said Thursday in a Christchurch court.
On the imposition of a life sentence without release, Justice Mander said, “If not here, when then?”
A sentence without release means that the offender is not given the opportunity to leave the prison after having served only part of their total sentence.
Justice Mander said such lifelong sentences without release were reserved only for the “worst murders”.
New Zealand does not have the death penalty as part of its justice system.
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Justice Mander had harsh words for Tarrant in his conviction
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, when he heard about Tarrant’s conviction, said it meant he would have “no fame, no platform … and we have no reason to think about him,” to see him or to hear from him again “.
“Today I hope it is the last one where we have cause to hear or speak out the name of the terrorist,” she said.
Ahmed Wali Khan, who lost his uncle in the attacks, told the BBC that the Muslim community in Christchurch welcomed the verdict.
“Everyone was very happy that justice was served,” he said, adding that the community “waited a very long time for this decision”.
Taj Kamran, an Afghan refugee who was shot several times in the leg and still needs running aids, said he would be “able to sleep” after the verdict, although those who were lost would not return. .
“No punishment will bring our loved ones back and our grief will continue for the rest of our lives,” he said.
The shooting prompted New Zealand to pass stricter gun laws and buy back certain types of weapons from owners.
What did the judge say?
On the last day of a four-day hearing, Justice Mander sentenced nearly an hour and reminded Tarrant of every person he murdered and injured.
He added that despite the shooter’s guilty pleas, the shooter appeared “neither touched nor ashamed”.
Tarrant, who through a lawyer in court said he did not oppose the request for prosecution for a life without release, did not respond to the sentence. He had earlier also refused the right to speak at his conviction.
The sentencing hearing began on Monday, with much of the first three days dedicated to statements about victims’ impact.
Tarrant appeared largely emotionless over the past three days as nearly 90 victims – some mournful, others defiant – confronted him.
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Sara Qasem, whose father Abdelfattah Qasem died at the Al Noor Mosque, spoke about the last moments of his death, saying: “I wonder if he was in pain, if he was scared, and what his last thoughts were. And I wish more than anything in the world that I could be there to hold his hand and tell him it would all be OK. “
She struggled to hold back her tears before looking at Tarrant and saying “these tears are not for you”.
What happened in Christchurch?
The shooter opened on March 15 last year at two mosques in the city.
He first directed worshipers inside the Al Noor mosque. Less than 30 seconds later, he returned to his car to pick up another weapon and then re-entered the mosque and resumed firing at those inside.
The entire incident was broadcast on Facebook Live via a headcam he was wearing.
He then drove to the Linwood Islamic Center where he shot two people outside and then shot at the windows.
A man inside rushed outside and grabbed one of the attacker’s shotguns before chasing him away.
Two policemen chased and arrested the gunman then. After his arrest, he told police that his plan was to burn mosques after his attack and he wished he had done so.
During this week’s sentencing, the court heard that the gunman intended to target another mosque, but was apprehended by officers along the way.
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What do we know about Tarrant?
The 29-year-old white supremacist has been described by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison as an “extremist, right-wing terrorist”.
He was born in the Australian state of New South Wales to a father who was a garbage collector and a mother who was a teacher.
After his father’s death in 2010, he quit his job and traveled through parts of Asia and Europe.
His grandmother told News 9News that she believed these trips changed him, saying, “It’s only since he traveled overseas, I think that boy has changed – completely to the boy we knew.”
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Tarrant was surrounded by police officers as he sat in the dock
He moved to New Zealand in 2017 and began planning his attacks against the Muslim community.
He was active on fringe online forums and posted a 74-page “manifesto” prior to his attack.
“I chose firearms for the impact it would have on social discussion, the extra media coverage they would provide and the impact it could have on U.S. politics and hence the political situation of the world, “he wrote in his manifesto, according to a New York Times report.
Tarrant added that he also hopes to “create conflict between the two ideologies within the United States over the ownership of firearms in order to promote social, cultural, political and racial separation.”
He also said he would be “quickly forgotten” after the attack, adding that he did not mind.
How did New Zealand respond?
The attack prompted New Zealand to reform its gun laws.
Less than a month after the shootings, the country’s parliament voted 119 to 1 over reforms banning military-style semi-automatic weapons, such as parts that could be used to build banned firearms.
The government asked to compensate owners of newly-illegal weapons in a repurchase scheme.
- Mosque witnesses ‘prayer for one bullet’
- The people were killed when they prayed
Ms Ardern has said that “much more” needs to be done to stop radicalization in the country.
“The challenge for us will be in our daily actions, and every opportunity where we see bullying, harassment, racism, discrimination, it is proclaimed as a nation,” she said on the first anniversary of the attacks.
