New Zealand, Brenton Tarrant in prison
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Brenton Harrison Tarrant is a supremacist gunman who live-streamed his massacre of 51 people at two New Zealand mosques last year. He has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Tarrant has pleaded guilty during court proceedings in Christchurch to murder, attempted murder and terrorism over the attacks in the city. His action makes 51 people dead. He declined the opportunity to speak on the final day of a four-day hearing. This man showed little emotion during sentencing.
The sentence to life in prison without parole actually never been used in New Zealand. High Court Judge Cameron Mander said that a finite term would not be sufficient. “As far as I can discern, you are empty of any empathy for your victims,” he said in handing down the sentence on Thursday. The judge considered that Tarrant’s crimes were “so wicked” that even if he is detained until death it would “not exhaust the requirements of punishment and denunciation.”
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was relieved that “that person will never see the light of day”. She also added, “The trauma of March 15 is not easily healed but today I hope is the last where we have any cause to hear or utter the name of the terrorist behind it. His deserves to be a lifetime of complete and utter silence.”
Gamal Fouda, the Imam of Al Noor mosque which was targeted expressing his opinion by said, “Today the legal procedures for this serious crime has been done. No punishment will bring our loved ones back.”
The attacks targeted people who are praying at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques shocked New Zealand and prompted new laws banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons. Not only that, but he also live-streamed his attack on Facebook, where it was viewed by hundreds of thousands of people.
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