AhlulBayt News Agency: Brenton Tarrant, the white supremacist responsible for killing 51 Muslim worshippers in the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, is seeking to overturn his conviction in a New Zealand court, claiming he was not mentally fit when he pleaded guilty.
Local media reported that Tarrant, now 35, appeared via video link before the Court of Appeal in Wellington, where he testified in support of his bid to withdraw his guilty pleas and face a full trial.
Tarrant, an Australian national, carried out the deadliest mass shooting in New Zealand’s history when he opened fire on two Christchurch mosques during Friday prayers in March 2019, using military‑style semi‑automatic weapons and livestreaming the massacre on Facebook.
He initially denied all charges and prepared for trial, but a year later pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder, and one charge of committing a terrorist act.
According to the New Zealand Herald, Tarrant told the court that harsh prison conditions severely damaged his mental health while awaiting trial, leaving him unable to make rational decisions.
He said he lacked the mental clarity required to enter informed pleas, arguing that his choices at the time were neither voluntary nor rational due to what he described as torturous conditions.
The identities of Tarrant’s legal counsel remain suppressed by court order, and they were not available for comment.
Court documents indicate that the Court of Appeal will examine whether Tarrant was incapable of making rational decisions when he pleaded guilty, allegedly due to inhumane imprisonment conditions.
Tarrant is serving a life sentence without parole — the first such sentence ever imposed in New Zealand. The appeal hearing is scheduled for five days and is expected to conclude on Friday.
If the court rejects his request to vacate the guilty pleas, a later hearing will consider his appeal against the sentence. If the pleas are overturned, the case will return to the High Court for a full trial.
Families of victims gathered at the Wellington courthouse to watch Tarrant’s testimony, which lasted several hours.
Rashid Omar, whose son Tariq was killed in the attack, told TVNZ that Tarrant’s appeal is “a waste of time and taxpayers’ money,” accusing him of trying to manipulate the system.
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