Christchurch (HRNW)-\u00a0New Zealand court has rejected an appeal filed by Australian extremist Brenton Tarrant, who was convicted for the 2019 mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch that killed 51 worshippers. The court ruled that his attempt to overturn the conviction had no legal basis and was \u201ccompletely without merit,\u201d reaffirming that he had pleaded guilty voluntarily and without any coercion.<\/p>\n
The attack, which took place on March 15, 2019, targeted the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre during Friday prayers, killing men, women, children, and elderly worshippers. It is regarded as the deadliest terrorist attack in New Zealand\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
Tarrant was sentenced in August 2020 to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. In his recent appeal, he claimed that prison conditions during trial affected his ability to make decisions, but the court dismissed this argument, stating that evidence confirmed he was mentally fit and that his claims were inconsistent and contradicted by expert and prison reports.<\/p>\n
Lawyers representing victims\u2019 families and survivors welcomed the ruling, calling it a relief that spares them from reopening the trauma of a retrial.<\/p>\n
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