Quran shareef recitation in New Zealand during trial of Tarant

International Desk - The Qur'an has been read in court during the trial of 51 people killed in the attack on two Masjids in Christchurch, New Zealand.

A courr of New Zealand has sentenced Brenton Tarant to life in prison for his role in the March attack. Convicted Brenton Tarant will also have no chance of being released on parole.

This is the first time in New Zealand that a person has been sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. The attacker, Brenton Tarant, must be on death row.

There is no scope for the death penalty in the New Zealand judiciary.

The 29-year-old Australian, who has been charged with 51 counts of murder, tried to kill another 40 people. Terrorism charges have also been filed against him.

The assailants started firing at two Masjids in Christchurch on March 15 last year. He broadcast the shooting live online.

What happened during the trial?
The trial of Brenton Tarant has been going on for four days and during this time the court has heard the statements of more than 60 victims. On the last day of the statement, verses of the Qur'an were recited in the court and pictures of the deceased family members of the victims were shown.

The gunman Brenton Tarant, did not speak in court before Thursday's sentencing.

The courtroom was almost empty due to the Covid-19 restrictions. However, thousands of people have been shown court proceedings in other court rooms in the city through video feeds while maintaining social distance.

Brenton Tarant was reportedly silent the entire time in a gray suit and surrounded by three police officers.

The chief prosecutor in the case, Mark Zarifah, said: "A minimum sentence will not suffice for a gunman. This is undoubtedly the biggest criminal incident in New Zealand history without any comparison. He is clearly the worst killer in New Zealand. "

"You have presented yourself as a mentally ill person who hates other people who think they are different from you," the judge said of Tarant, who was in the courtroom when the verdict was announced.

‘You have not apologized or made a public confession for the damage you have done. While I appreciate your (court's) reluctance to use these processes as a platform, you do not feel remorseful or ashamed at all. '

"You have committed a genocide," the judge said of Tarant, who believes in white supremacy. You have killed unarmed and unresponsive people. '

Before the verdict was announced, Judge Mander read aloud the descriptions of the long-time victims of the Tarantino attack and the comments of their relatives. During this time he had to stop twice because he was overwhelmed with emotion.

Referring to a family of victims, the judge said, "Their loss is unbearable. Your actions have destroyed their families, just as they have destroyed many more families. 'Many of the relatives were seen wiping away tears when they heard the name of the deceased.