Christchurch Attacker: Guilt Allegedly “Under Torture” Christchurch Attacker: Guilt Allegedly “Under Torture”

Right-wing extremist Brenton Tarrant, sentenced to life imprisonment for the deadly attacks on two mosques in New Zealand, wants to appeal against the sentence. He pleaded guilty only under torture, the Australian wrote to the Court of Appeal in the capital Wellington. A court official confirmed the information from the German press agency on Thursday.

Tarrant was sentenced in August 2020 to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole – including for 51 counts of murder. It was the first time this penalty had been imposed in New Zealand. As a result, the government has tightened gun laws.

The appeals court did not set a date for a possible hearing. At the beginning of November it was already known that the 32-year-old wanted to appeal against the verdict. Normally, however, this must be done within 20 days of the verdict being issued. Tarrant wrote that he was late in his appeal because he was “held in illegal and torturous detention conditions, having been denied necessary legal documents, disputes with previous lawyers, and irrationality resulting from the conditions of detention.”

In March 2019, Tarrant attacked two mosques in the city of Christchurch, shooting 51 people in the most serious attack in the recent history of the Pacific state. Dozens of others were injured, some critically. Many survivors today still suffer the consequences, are unable to work or live in severe pain. The perpetrator broadcasted the meticulously planned carnage live on the internet with a helmet camera. (aeg/sda/dpa)