Christchurch mosque terrorist to launch legal challenge

Brenton Tarrant, who was last year sentenced to life imprisonment for 51 murders and one charge of terrorism, is launching a legal challenge against his jail conditions in the New Zealand high court.

The Australian who carried out the Christchurch mosque massacres has requested a judicial review, which looks at whether decisions have been made appropriately within the law.

It is important to note that he is not appealing against his sentence and the hearing has no bearing on the outcome of the criminal case or his terrorism conviction. It has been reported that Tarrant wants the court to review decisions made by the Department of Corrections about his prison conditions, and also possibly his designation as a ‘terrorist entity’ under the Terrorism Suppression Act.

In the attacks on 15 March 2019, the gunman killed 44 people at al Noor mosque during Friday prayers before driving to the Linwood mosque, where he killed another seven. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.