A six-week coronial inquest into the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks began today — why is it happening and what does it hope to answer?
The coronial inquest into the shootings follows the criminal prosecution of terrorist Brenton Tarrant and a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the attack.
Its aim is to try and answer the questions many still have about what happened on March 15, 2019, says Federation of Islamic Associations chairperson Abdur Razzaq.
"There's no blame here," he told Breakfast this morning. "It's [about] learning the lessons."
Razzaq said the inquest will finally give people the chance to ask questions.
Because the terrorist admitted his crimes, there was no trial. The Royal Commission of Inquiry also didn't allow for survivors and the families of the 51 victims to ask questions about what happened that day.
A coronial inquest into the Christchurch mosque attacks will finally give people an opportunity to ask questions about what happened on March 15, 2019. (Source: Breakfast)
Razzaq said the inquest is "personally important for many people because they're going to find out what happened to their loved ones".
He said the major questions those people still have are around the timeline of events on the day of the attacks, the expert medical reports, and what specifically happened to victims.
What will the inquest cover?
Coroner Brigitte Windley will oversee the six weeks of public hearings.
The evidence includes nearly 5000 images, 3000 audio files and more than 80 hours of video footage.
The 10 issues being covered in this First Phase Inquiry include:
- The events of March 15, 2019, from the beginning of the attacks through to the end of the emergency response
- The response times and entry processes of police and ambulance officers at the two mosques
- The triage and medical response at each mosque
- The steps taken to apprehend the offender
- The role of Christchurch Hospital in responding to the attacks
- The co-ordination between emergency services and first responders
- Whether the offender had assistance from anyone else on the day of the attacks
- The final movements and time of death for each victim, if this is raised by immediate family
- The cause of death for each victim and whether any of those deaths could have been averted had there been an alternative medical triage and/or treatment
- Whether Masjid an-Nur’s emergency exit door in part of the main prayer room failed to function and, if so, why.
Razzaq said it's important to learn any lessons for the future over the course of the inquest.
"This happened to our community. [But] it could have happened to any community."
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