WELLINGTON (Reuters) – The mass shooter that killed 51 people in New Zealand in 2019 has launched a legal challenge that seeks to review the conditions of his prison and his status as a terrorist entity.
White supremacist Brenton Tarrant was sentenced in August to life in prison without parole for the murder of 51 people and the attempted murder of 40 more people in two mosques in Christchurch on March 15, 2019 , the worst mass shooting in the country’s history.
Tarrant, an Australian national, is the only person in New Zealand to have been designated a terrorist.
A judicial review will be held in Auckland High Court on Thursday to clarify the issues Tarrant wants to raise, New Zealand judicial authorities reported.
Preliminary information provided to judicial officials indicates that Tarrant wants the Court to review the Corrections Department’s decisions about his prison conditions and also his designation as a “terrorist entity” under the Suppression of Terrorism Act.
The hearing will have nothing to do with the outcome of the criminal case against Tarrant, nor his conviction and sentence, the court said.
Judicial records show that Tarrant will represent himself.
The families of the victim and the community of survivors were notified Wednesday about the sighting. It will not be open to the public, but the media can attend.
Praveen Menon Reports; Lincoln Feast Edition.