27 August 2020
New Zealand's High Court sentenced the Australian white supremacist who admitted to killing 51 people in two Christchurch mosques to life in prison with no parole, per RNZ.
Why it matters: Brenton Tarrant, 29, is the first person in New Zealand to receive the sentence. The 2019 attack is considered the worst in the country's history and one of the world's worst shootings by a single gunman. Dozens of survivors faced him in court to give victim impact statements this week.
"You terrorized the whole of New Zealand and saddened the world. You killed your own humanity and I don't think the world will forgive you for your horrible crime against humanity."
remarks from Maysoon Salama, whose only son died in the attack
The big picture: Tarrant pleaded guilty in March and was convicted of 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one charge of terrorism after changing his plea.
- New Zealand banned military-style semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles in response to the March 15, 2019, massacre at the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre.
- The attack prompted Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to lead an international campaign that resulted in the Christchurch Call, an initiative to reduce violent extremist content online that was launched by governments and tech companies.
Of note: The prosecution told the court on Monday that Tarrant intended to "burn the mosques down" and planned a third mosque attack.
The mother of one victim told him: "You gave yourself the authority to take the souls of 51 innocent people. Their only crime in your eyes was being Muslim," per RNZ.
- Tarrant's sentencing lasted four days to enable survivors and victims' families to speak to the impact of his actions.
- The court banned live reporting to avoid Tarrant from using the hearing to spread hate and to minimize the re-traumatization of victims and their families.
- Some victims' families and survivors were exempted from New Zealand's coronavirus border ban on nonresidents to attend the hearing after spending 14 days in managed quarantine facilities.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.