Brenton Tarrant, who killed 51 people and injured dozens at two Christchurch mosques in March 2019, is due to begin an appeal of his life-without-parole sentence on Monday. He was convicted on 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of committing a terrorist act. Tarrant published a racist manifesto, used military-style semi-automatic weapons and livestreamed the attack on Facebook. The massacre prompted swift changes to New Zealand's gun laws and intensified scrutiny of online extremism.
Christchurch Mosque Shooter Begins Appeal Of Landmark Life-Without-Parole Sentence
Brenton Tarrant, the gunman who shot and killed worshippers in the Christchurch mosque attacks, listens as Crown prosecutor Mark Zarifeh delivers his submission during Tarrant's sentencing at the High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand, August 27, 2020. John Kirk-Anderson/Pool via REUTERS
A white supremacist who killed 51 Muslim worshippers and wounded dozens at two Christchurch mosques in March 2019 is due to begin an appeal hearing against his sentence on Monday.
Brenton Tarrant, 35, opened fire on worshippers gathered for Friday prayers in what remains New Zealand's deadliest mass shooting. He was convicted on 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of committing a terrorist act, and is serving life imprisonment without the possibility of parole—a sentence that was the first of its kind in New Zealand.
Tarrant, an Australian national, published a racist manifesto shortly before the attacks and used military-style semi-automatic weapons during the shootings. He livestreamed part of the assault on Facebook using a head-mounted camera, an act that magnified the horror of the attacks both in New Zealand and internationally.
Aftermath and Wider Impact
The massacre shocked the nation and prompted rapid changes to New Zealand's gun laws, as well as renewed discussions about online extremism, radicalisation and how social platforms handle live violent content. The appeal hearing will revisit the legal grounds for the sentence but the convictions themselves remain a stark record of the scale and motive of the attack.
Context: The case has had lasting political and social consequences in New Zealand and abroad, influencing debates on public safety, counter-extremism and platform responsibility.
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