A country still traumatized. Judgment for New Zealand's largest mass killings in modern New Zealand history, which killed 51 people in two mosques in March 2019, will be released in August after being postponed due to the pandemic of coronavirus, we learned on Friday from the court.
The accused, Australian Brenton Tarrant, had long denied the 51 murder charges, 40 attempted murder charges and one other terrorist act charge, before pleading guilty to all of the charges against him. last March. Hence this judgment without trial.
The country was then in containment to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, so the victims and their families could not go to court to attend the judgment. The virus is now under control on the island and sanitary measures have been released, which should allow the judgment to be pronounced on August 24, said High Court judge Cameron Mander.
An "exhausting and frustrating" procedure for victims
"Our courts have returned to normal operation," he said according to court documents released to the public on Friday. "The public and especially the victims and their families living in New Zealand can attend the hearings," he said. Three days have been scheduled for the judgment but "the hearing will last as long as necessary," he said.
The accused, a former self-proclaimed white gymnastics teacher and supremacist, faces life in prison. Mander noted that some people currently abroad have argued for a postponement until they can travel to New Zealand, but said the borders may remain closed for a long time.
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"In the meantime, the procedure will continue to get bogged down. It is not a satisfactory situation ”, he underlined, promising the installation of video links to allow them to follow the hearing and testify remotely. Many victims find the process "exhausting and frustrating" and want it to end, he said. "They want the judgment to take place as quickly as possible." "Concluding and turning the page is seen by some as the best way to help the Muslim community," he said.
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Equipped with an arsenal of semi-automatic weapons, Tarrant had successively opened fire in two mosques during Friday prayers, killing 51 people, all Muslims, including women and children. He had filmed and broadcast the images of the carnage live on Facebook.
