WELLINGTON (Reuters) – The mass shooting that killed 51 people in New Zealand in 2019 has launched a legal appeal seeking a review of its prison conditions and its status as a “terrorist entity”.
White supremacist Brenton Tarrant was sentenced in August to life in prison without parole for killing 51 people and attempting to assassinate another 40 at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15, 2019, the worst mass shooting in the country’s history.
Tarrant, an Australian citizen, is the only person in New Zealand who has been designated a terrorist.
A judicial review will take place on Thursday in Auckland’s High Court to clarify the issues Tarrant wants to raise, New Zealand court officials said.
Preliminary information provided to court officials indicates that Tarrant wants the Court to review the Department of Corrections’ decisions regarding his prison conditions and also his designation as a “terrorist entity” under the Suppression of Terrorism Act.
The hearing will have no influence on the outcome of the criminal case against Tarrant or on his conviction and sentence, the court said.
The court files show that Tarrant will represent himself.
The families of the victim and the community of survivors were notified on Wednesday about the hearing. It will not be open to the public, but the media is allowed to participate.
Report by Praveen Menon; Edited by Lincoln Feast.