35 people in New Zealand have been charged by police for sharing and possession of the horrific Christchurch terrorist attack earlier this year.
Not only is possessing the gruesome footage disgusting, it’s also HIGHLY illegal.
As of August 21st, 35 people have been charged in relation to the video, according to information released under the Official Information Act. At least 10 of the charges are against minors, which have now been referred to the Youth Court.
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Video footage of the shooting, which killed 51 people, was live-streamed on Facebook on March 15 this year.
According to Radio New Zealand, the footage has been classified as “objectionable” by New Zealand’s Chief Censor.
Under New Zealand law, knowingly possessing or distributing objectionable material is a serious offence with a maximum jail term of 14 years.
The manifesto that was written and shared by Brenton Tarrant prior to his alleged terrorist attack has also been deemed objectionable material.
A majority of the charges were for Canterbury residents, while seven people from the Bay of Plenty area were also charged.
The Northern Police district is the only area without charges at the moment, but it is unclear whether more charges will be laid in the coming weeks.
Information regarding the objectionable materials charges was released under the Official Information Act.
So far, nine people have been issued warnings, while 14 have been prosecuted for their involvement.
The alleged offender, Brenton Tarrant is facing 92 charges including one terrorism charge, 51 counts of murder and 40 attempted murder charges. He has plead not guilty to the murder charges and will begin trial on May 4 next year.
