The self-proclaimed white supremacist pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder in 2020 and received a life sentence.
A self-proclaimed white supremacist who killed 51 Muslim worshipers at two Christchurch mosques in March 2019 has appealed his conviction and life sentence.
No date has been set for the hearing, a spokesman for the Court of Appeal in the capital, Wellington, told several New Zealand media on Tuesday.
Brenton Tarrant, then 29, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in August 2020 for the murder of 51 people and the attempted murder of 40 others at two Christchurch mosques, the worst mass shooting in New Zealand history.
It was the first time a New Zealand court had sentenced someone to life imprisonment.
Judge Cameron Mander said he imposed the harshest sentence given the scale of the crime.
“Your crimes are so heinous that even if you are imprisoned until your death, the requirements of punishment and denunciation are not exhausted,” Mander said at the time.
In November 2021, Tarrant’s attorney at the time, Tony Ellis, said the shooter was considering an appeal of the verdict, alleging his guilty plea was obtained under duress and that he was subjected to “inhuman and degrading treatment” while held on remand. In an email reply on Tuesday, Ellis told Portal that he was no longer representing Tarrant.
The Australian stormed the mosques, armed with military-style semi-automatic weapons, fired indiscriminately at Muslims gathered for Friday prayers and broadcast the killings live on social media.
The youngest of the victims was three-year-old Mucaad Ibrahim, who was born in New Zealand to Somali parents. The oldest was 77-year-old Muse Awale, a retired religion teacher.
Temel Atacocugu, who was shot nine times in the attacks, said the attacker just wanted attention.
“I’d like to tell him grow up, be a man and die quietly in prison because that’s what you deserve,” Atacocugu told news website Stuff.
“I saw him when he shot me. If he thinks he shouldn’t be in jail forever or die in jail, he’s only dreaming.”
New Zealand quickly banned the sale of assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons after the attack; It has also worked to strengthen laws against hate speech and increase penalties for inciting hatred and discrimination.
An investigation into the killings concluded that since the intelligence services had diverted their efforts from investigating right-wing threats and instead focused heavily on the “threat of Islamist extremist” activity, they could not have been warned of an imminent attack .
When asked about the shooter’s appeal, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reiterated her promise not to reveal his name, made shortly after the attacks.
“His story should not be told and his name should not be repeated, and I will use the same rule to comment on his attempt to re-sacrifice people,” Ardern said.
“We shouldn’t give him anything,” she said.