Pandemic traps March 15 victims abroad
Christchurch mosque attack survivors stuck in coronavirus stricken countries may not be able to return home before the shooter’s sentencing.
Several victims were visiting family overseas when New Zealand’s borders were largely closed as part of Covid-19 restrictions. They have struggled to get back. Mohammed Mashud, whose wife Sazada Akhter lost the use of her legs after being shot at the Masjid An-Nur, also known as Al Noor mosque, on Deans Ave, is trapped in Dhaka, Bangladesh, having been on a month-long visit to family.
Mustafa Boztas, a 22-year-old who was shot in the leg, is stuck in Konya, Turkey, with his parents and two sisters.
Another victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is running out of money while stuck in Turkey after going to seek medical advice for his daughter’s injuries on March 6.
He and his daughter, then aged 4, were both shot at the mosque.
Stuff understands other March 15 victims are stuck in Covid-19 hotspots, or unable to get home after flying in for the anniversary.
$48,000 to get home
The father with his daughter in Turkey – along with his wife and three other children – was on a twoweek stopover on the way to visit family in his former home country, Jordan. ‘‘I didn’t want to be in New Zealand for the [March 15] anniversary,’’ the father said. ‘‘It’s too much for me.’’
They also wanted second opinions on treatment for the now 6-year-old girl. Bullet injuries to her foot and toes had made walking impossible, and he hoped knowledge among doctors there and in Jordan experienced in treating bullet wounds among refugees might help.
Five days after arriving in Istanbul, the borders closed and they became trapped. Their living and medical costs were nearly $27,000 and growing. He hoped to be home in time for the shooter’s sentencing, but the family had been quoted about $48,000 to get home. ‘‘I am going to run out of money, but what can I do?’’
‘I hear coughs every time’
Boztas and his family left New Zealand on February 10, ‘‘before the virus was bad’’, and were due back on May 13.
When the borders shut, he said the New Zealand Embassy offered to loan the cost of flights home, but the five of them would cost $25,000. It was going to be May, then June, then August. Now October is the earliest possible return date.
Turkey reported more than 1500 new cases of Covid-19 each day, and while most locals wore masks, the city was busy and under no lockdown restrictions. ‘‘I go to town, I hear coughs every time I go. ’’
Both victims in Turkey hoped a Qatari charity’s $2 million fund – currently frozen under an ongoing dispute over its beneficiaries – would be released to victims as soon as possible.
Stuck in Bangladesh
Sazada Akhter, who was paralysed in the shooting, was worried about her husband, Mohammed Mashud, who left for Bangladesh on February 22. More than 3000 cases, and about 50 deaths, a day were being reported there. ‘‘Our country is a poor country, so it’s a problem. Most people have to go out. I want my husband [back].’’
Raf Manji, who has led the distribution of Christchurch Foundation funds to victims, had been contacted by victims needing financial help while trapped abroad.
The foundation was financially supporting victims abroad with welfare costs.
The ‘‘main issue’’ related to getting direct victims home in time for the shooter’s sentencing, he said.
A Victim Support spokesman said emergency grants were given for travel both into and out of New Zealand for victims to be with their families in the aftermath of the shooting. A ‘‘small number’’ were unable to return due to Covid-19 disruptions.
Justice Cameron Mander said in a minute last month the High Court was investigating how all victims and families could attend the sentencing in person or by audiovisual link.
The shooter has been remanded to a nominal date of July 13.