Letter from behind bars
PM: Accused gunman’s note ‘hateful’
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the alleged mosque gunman should not have been able to send a letter expressing what she called his “hateful views” from behind bars.
Her comments come after it was revealed the man accused of the Christchurch mosque shootings was able to send a letter from prison.
In the letter, circulating on the internet, the 28-year-old accused writes about his political and social views, but says he cannot go into great detail about his regrets or feelings “as the guards will confiscate my letter if I do [to use as evidence]”.
Ardern said she felt the same way as everyone else in New Zealand about the issue. “This particular bit of communications just should not have happened,” she told media in Tuvalu where she is attending the Pacific Islands Forum.
“I know that the minister has expressed to Corrections his disappointment and his expectations.”
Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis would take a look at whether New Zealand’s laws are fit for purpose.
Those laws were around how to deal with someone of this nature who Ardern said was “seeking to share hateful views and finding platforms to share those views”.
But she would not go as far as saying NZ prison facilities were not equipped to handle the accused man.
It was clear something had gone wrong — but Corrections itself had acknowledged there was a failing, she said. “Obviously, this is [a man] who has a very specific goal in mind in terms of sharing his propaganda so we should have been prepared.”
Asked if systems have been tightened to make sure this does not happen again, Ardern said that would
“absolutely” be her expectation.
The letter is understood to be a response to one sent by a person named Alan, said to live in Russia.
The accused gunman’s letter thanked his correspondent for the postage stamps, saying they were “the only two pieces of colour in my otherwise grey cell. I will have to hide them from the guards”.
In the letter, the alleged gunman talks about his travels in Russia and refers to it as his “favourite place in the world”. He says he wishes he could visit Russia again some day but “life isn’t about travelling”.
Corrections acknowledges “this letter should have been withheld”.
“Corrections is legislatively required to manage prisoners in accordance with the provisions set out in the Corrections Act 2004 and
our international obligations for the treatment of all prisoners,” a Corrections spokeswoman said.
Every prisoner had legislatively required minimum entitlements under the Corrections Act.
“One of these minimum entitlements is to send and receive mail. In accordance with section 108 of the act, a prison director can only withhold a prisoner’s mail in a very limited range of circumstances. Some letters have been withheld.
“We have made changes to the management of this prisoner’s mail to ensure that our robust processes are as effective as we need them to be.”
Davis said his department should not have allowed the letter to be sent. He had asked whether current laws were fit for purpose.
“We have never had to manage a prisoner like this before.”
He said Kiwis would be surprised to hear this alleged offender was allowed to send and receive mail — “but there are rights every prisoner has under the law as it stands”.
Corrections had the power to withhold some correspondence, Davis said. “They have used this power to withhold some correspondence the prisoner has attempted to send, and some he was to receive.
“I have made myself clear that this cannot happen again.” National’s Corrections spokesman David Bennett said Davis owed New Zealanders an immediate apology. “This man is accused of carrying out one of the most heinous crimes in New Zealand history. New Zealanders will be horrified that Corrections allowed him to send a letter . . . [since] posted online.”
The man faces 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one charge laid under the Terrorism Suppression Act. He denies all charges. Today marks five months since the tragedy during Friday prayers.