An Australian white supremacist who pleaded guilty to killing 51 worshipers at two mosques in New Zealand last year plans to represent himself at a sentencing hearing in August, a court heard on Monday, expressing concern that he might use the procedures. to voice their opinions and traumatize survivors once again.
White supremacist Brenton Tarrant initially denied involvement before pleading guilty in March to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder, and one count of terrorism by the wave of killings in Christchurch on March 15, 2019.
The massacre, the deadliest shooting in New Zealand history, prompted the government to ban most semi-automatic weapons and spurred an effort to restrict racist and violent content on the Internet. The gunman had posted a white supremacist manifesto online and broadcast part of the shooting live on Facebook.
On Monday, a Christchurch Superior Court judge confirmed that Mr. Tarrant, who appeared via video link from Auckland prison, had renounced his legal representation rights before allowing his attorneys, Jonathan Hudson and Shane Tait, They will withdraw from the case, according to local media.
“We are not disappointed with Mr. Tarrant’s decision,” said Hudson, according to The New Zealand Herald. “There has been no conflict or breakup of the relationship.”
Instead, the court will appoint a waiting attorney if Mr. Tarrant chooses to be represented later.
By representing himself, Mr. Tarrant will have the right to speak in the judgment, although the judge has the power to determine what is relevant to the hearing, said Len Andersen, president of the New Zealand Criminal Bar Association, to the local Stuff. . But most likely, it doesn’t include any attempt to share views of white supremacy.
“Since he has accepted that he is a terrorist and that there is no difference in his ideology for the purpose of sentencing, I hope the judge will say such comments are irrelevant and will stop him,” said Kris Gledhill, a law professor at the University from Auckland Technology.
Mr. Tarrant’s sentence was set for August 24, and the hearing is expected to last for several days, as the victims who survived the shooting and the relatives of those killed give impact statements.
The families of the victims and members of the Muslim community said Mr. Tarrant’s move was an attempt to grab attention and could retraumatize them if he spoke during an event widely seen as an opportunity for them to find closure.
“The whole sentence is not about him; it’s about community impact, “Anjum Rahman, spokeswoman for the Islamic Council of Women in New Zealand, told Stuff.” Why give it airtime? “
Another man sentenced last month for robbing a mosque in Norway said he was inspired by Mr. Tarrant’s hate-filled manifesto.
With travel bans still in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, the government also said Friday that it will grant exceptions to allow victims of the mosque attacks and their families abroad to attend the sentencing and work to provide technology options for others to read victim impact statements remotely
