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John Kirk-Anderson / Stuff
The collapse of the Christchurch CTV building in the February 2011 earthquake claimed 115 lives.
Families affected by the deadly collapse of the CTV building nearly 10 years ago are calling for a United Nations investigation into the government’s “violations” of their rights.
The six-story Christchurch headquarters building collapsed in the February 2011 earthquake, killing 115 people.
Last month, relatives of the deceased asked Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to appoint “one or two” retired High Court judges to review the 2017 police decision not to take a case against engineers Alan Reay and David. Harding.
A royal commission found that Harding, who designed the Canterbury Television (CTV) building, was left largely unsupervised by Reay, his boss, despite Harding’s limited experience designing multi-level buildings. .
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Harding was working “beyond his competence” and Reay did not revise the design, he found.
ALDEN WILLIAMS / THINGS
CTV Families Group spokesperson Maan Alkaisi sent a message to authorities on the ninth anniversary of the February 2011 earthquake earlier this year (File photo).
In a media confrontation on Wednesday, CTV Families Group spokesman Maan Alkaisi said there is still “no justice, no accountability and no closure.”
“The 115 loved ones we lost have paid the highest price with their lives for a poor building and design that should never have been approved.”
The group was now writing a letter to the United Nations warning that it was preparing a complaint. The purpose of the complaint was to seek an investigation into “apparent violations of the rights of the victims” by the Government.
Alkaisi said the way they were treated represented a “failure in defending the values of the United Nations.”
JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON / THINGS
Maan Alkaisi, a spokesperson for CTV Families Group, is concerned that the decision not to prosecute was wrong.
The group believes that the families it represents qualify as “victims” as defined by the international body. It also believes that it can identify “significant violations” by the Government with respect to its obligations under international law, in terms of respecting and protecting the rights of victims.
The victims were perceived to be “kind” and “patient” and asked to “just go ahead,” Alkaisi said.
“As we grapple with our overwhelming pain, we have been forced to understand all the technical, legal, professional conduct, responsibilities of various government officials, and we have even assumed the role of detectives.”
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