The white supremacist who killed 51 people in March 2019 in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, will face the survivors of this carnage next week at the hearing that will set his sentence.
In March, Australia’s Brenton Tarrant, who could face life imprisonment, was convicted of the murder of 51 people, 40 attempted murders and one terrorist act.
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After having long denied being the perpetrator of the biggest mass murder in modern New Zealand history, he ended up pleading guilty.
Starting Monday, Mr. Tarrant will attend the four-day court hearing after which his sentence will be handed down.
Survivors and families of victims are allowed to be present in the courtroom and will thus, for the first time since the carnage of March 15, 2019, be confronted with the accused.
Until now, the accused’s appearances have been made via a video link from Auckland prison, with the exception of the one held behind closed doors in the aftermath of the killing.
Christchurch High Court Judge Cameron Mander said these four days were important for the victims of the carnage, the atrocity of which had upset this Pacific nation known for its tranquility.
Among the 66 people called to testify about this event which changed their lives, a large number come from abroad.
Due to the coronavirus-related restrictions, hundreds more will watch the proceedings being broadcast from seven courtrooms in Christchurch courthouse while others will follow them online.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern admitted that for many this week will be difficult.
“I don’t think there is anything I can say to ease their trauma during this moment,” she told reporters on Friday.
“It will probably take some time, this is how it should be done, people need to be heard,” added the Prime Minister.
Police will step up patrols around the High Court as people have been mobilized to provide psychological support.
These four days of hearing required a large logistical organization, in particular to ensure simultaneous translation into eight languages for members of the Muslim community, from very diverse origins.
The authorities also intend to prevent Mr. Tarrant, who fired his lawyers in July and intends to defend himself, from making this moment a platform to promote his convictions.
Mr Mander imposed exceptional restraint measures on the media in order to prevent that even if the 29-year-old accused tried to make propaganda, he did not get any publicity.
The magistrate will indicate to the media, which are not authorized to report live the content of the hearings, what they can or not report.
Any violation will be liable to prosecution for contempt of court.
After the attacks, Ms. Ardern pledged never to say the name of the killer so as not to contribute to his “notoriety”.
These measurements show how much this carnage remains a sensitive subject within New Zealand society.
The government has since tightened the arms law and stepped up efforts to tackle internet extremism.
Mr Tarrant, who grew up in a small town in Australia, moved to New Zealand in 2017.
Lonely, he spent many hours on the online forums at his home in Dunedin (south) where he had stored weapons for the killings he had planned in the city of Christchurch.
Equipped with an arsenal of semi-automatic weapons, he opened fire successively in two mosques during Friday prayers, killing 51 people, all Muslims, including women and children. He had filmed and broadcast live on Facebook the images of the carnage.
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