Christchurch in the headlines after Brenton Tarrant’s appeals: now seeking a new trial for the 51 worshippers massacre. NZ city, population ~407k.
New Zealand's Court of Appeal has rejected Brenton Tarrant's bid to overturn his March 2020 guilty pleas for the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, finding his claim that harsh prison conditions forced those pleas to be "utterly devoid of merit." The decision preserves his life sentence without parole and avoids a retrial, relieving victims' families.
Australia has moved to ban the National Socialist Network, now renamed, under a new law allowing designated hate groups to be outlawed. The move follows the Bondi Beach antisemitic attack that killed 15 people. The ban criminalizes support, funding, training, recruitment and directing the group, with penalties up to 15 years’ imprisonment. The government says the measure targets the group’s ability to organise and grow, amid ongoing legal challenges.