The white supremacist who killed 51 people at two New Zealand mosques is appealing his conviction.
Brenton Tarrant, 32, has filed an appeal against his case and conviction, court officials said. No hearing has been scheduled for the appeal at this stage.
Tarrant was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2020 for the murder and attempted murder of Muslim worshippers.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was trying to “bring people back to life”.
Asked about his appeal, Ms Ardern told reporters: “His name is one that should not be repeated and I’m going to apply the same principle to commenting on his efforts to bring people back to life. We must not give him anything.”
His government refuses to publicly name Tarrant in order to deprive him of any platform or notoriety.
Imam Jamal Fuda, a survivor of the attack on Christchurch’s Al Noor mosque, said he was “struggling to understand” that Tarrant’s appeal was meant to “self-confess”.
“I can’t help but think that this is yet another act by this terrorist to harm his victims again by keeping the memory of him and his terrorist acts alive,” he said. “
Tarrant, an Australian citizen who moved to New Zealand in 2017, attacked two mosques in the southern city on March 15, 2019, armed with military-grade semi-automatic rifles.
He intended to kill as many Muslim people as possible, his trial was held in 2020. He live-streamed the attack via headcam on Facebook and posted a 74-page manifesto on extremist forums.
During his trial, he chose not to testify. He pleaded guilty to murder, attempted murder and terrorism charges and refused to oppose the prosecution’s demand for a maximum sentence.
He was sentenced to life in prison without parole – a first for New Zealand. There is no death penalty in the country.
At the time, the sentencing judge noted that Tarrant had shown no remorse, remorse or shame for his actions. “Your crimes are so bad that even if you were kept in custody until you die, it would not meet the requirements of the sentence,” Judge Cameron Mander said.
A coronial inquiry into the attack is currently underway in New Zealand. Officials said on Tuesday that they would consider whether the appeal could affect the inquiry.
The Christchurch attack was the worst mass shooting in New Zealand’s history. The shootings forced parliament to pass stricter gun laws and buy back certain types of weapons from owners.
