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Agencies

SCMP’s Asia desk

A day after New Zealand officials apologised for mistakenly allowing an accused terrorist to send a “hateful” letter containing a white supremacist call to arms, the Corrections Department on Thursday admitted two other objectionable letters should have been withheld.
Corrections said a second letter by mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant containing objectionable content was not caught by mail vetting staff, while a third by Philip Arps – a white supremacist jailed for sharing the mosque shooting video online – also contained messages that should have been withheld, the New Zealand Herald reported.
Both men are held in different prisons, with Tarrant at a maximum-security cell in Auckland, and Arps jailed at Christchurch Men’s Prison.




Christine Stevenson, chief executive of Corrections, said the letter by Arps, addressed to a local news organisation, should not have left prison.
“This is totally unacceptable, it should not have happened, and I apologise for any further distress this has caused,” she said of the second failing by the department.
Christchurch mosque gunman Brenton Tarrant’s ‘hateful’ letter from jail ends up on 4chan
Stevenson said she did not have confidence in current processes for reviewing and assessing prisoners’ mail, and had called for an immediate review, the Herald reported.
“The mail of prisoners who have been identified with extremist ideologies and/or registered victims will be immediately centralised pending a full review carried out by an external party (to be determined),” she said.
“It will remain this way until the review has concluded and I am confident the new process in place will prevent this from ever happening again.”
How an unarmed 65-year-old took down the Norway mosque shooter
Local media website Newshub on Thursday said it had received multiple “hate-filled” letters from Arps containing “unhinged ramblings”, threats to harm New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and praises for Norway’s mass killer Anders Brevik.
Arps, a white supremacist, in 2016 left a pig’s head at a mosque in Christchurch, a region in the South Island where white supremacist groups are known to be active.

Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis said Arp’s letter reflected there clear “deficiencies” in how the department managed mail from high-risk prisoners, the Herald reported.
“The letter is further proof we need to ensure our current laws are fit for purpose. I will discuss the issue with Cabinet on Monday,” he said.
On Wednesday, it emerged that Tarrant, who is accused of killing 51 Muslim worshippers, had sent a six-page letter to a Russian man called “Alan”, who later shared it on 4chan – a website that’s become notorious as a place for white supremacists to publicise their views.
Christchurch mosque shooter pleads not guilty to all 92 charges
Prime Minister Ardern, who has vowed never to mention Tarrant by name, was furious the letter had bypassed Corrections’ mail vetting system.
“Corrections themselves have acknowledged the failing here … this individual should not be able to share his hateful message from behind prison doors,” she told reporters in Tuvalu, where she is attending a regional summit.
During the Christchurch gunman’s five months in custody, he had sent seven letters, the Herald reported. Two of the letters went to family, another to an admirer overseas and four to recipients yet to be identified. A further two letters he wrote have been withheld.

Corrections chief Stevenson said following the appearance of Tarrant’s letter on 4chan, the terror accused would be blocked from sending or receiving mail pending a review, the Herald reported.
“This letter should not have been able to be sent, and this prisoner has immediately been prevented from sending or receiving mail until we have absolute assurance that the process in place for screening and assessing his correspondence upholds the safety of the public, both in New Zealand and internationally,” she said.
“The strengthened process which we are going to implement is unprecedented, and demonstrates the seriousness with which we are taking this, and our commitment to ensuring that we get this right.”
Additional reporting by AFP, Reuters


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New Zealand shooting

New Zealand to review laws after second letter sent from jail by Christchurch mosque attacker Brenton Tarrant emerges

Accused mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant. Photo: NZ Herald

Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis during a press conference after announcing a $128.3 million boost in mental health and addiction services for offenders, at a function in Upper Hutt. 17 June 2019 New Zealand Herald Photograph by Mark Mitchell NZH 18Jun19 -

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to the media during a press conference at the Justice Precinct in Christchurch on March 28, 2019. (Photo by Marty MELVILLE / AFP)

Christchurch mosque gunman Brenton Tarrant's ‘hateful’ letter from jail ends up on 4chan

New Zealand Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis. Photo: New Zealand Herald

FILE - In this June 14, 2019, file courtroom drawing, Brenton Tarrant, the man accused of killing 51 people at two Christchurch mosques on March 15, 2019 appears via video link at the Christchurch District Court, from the maximum security prison in Auckland where he's being held, Christchurch, New Zealand. New Zealand officials admitted Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019 that they made a mistake by allowing Tarrant to send a hand-written letter from his prison cell. (AP Photo/Stephanie McEwin, File)

Accused shooter in Christchurch mosque attacks that left 51 dead pleads not guilty to all charges in New Zealand court

Brenton Tarrant, charged for murder in relation to the mosque attacks, is seen in the dock during his appearance in the Christchurch District Court on March 16. Photo: Reuters

Armed Police guard the Masjid Al Noor, Deans Avenue Mosque, Christchurch. 17 March 2019 New Zealand Herald photograph by Michael Craig. WGP 21Mar19 - Armed police guard the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch. What happened in this southern city last Friday was an outpouring of hate, racism and pure madness.Photo / file HBG 23Mar19 - Armed police guard the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch. What happened last week was an outpouring of hate, racism and pure madness. NZH 23Mar19 - Photo / Michael CraigPhoto / AAP BTG 05Apr19 - The violent attack on our Muslim community has raised questions about how racist we are as a society. NZH 16Apr19 - The 24/7 police presence at Masjid Al Noor in Christchurch and other mosques around the country will remain for the time being. Photo / Michael Craig NZH 23Apr19 - Facebook was criticised for failing to block the Christchurch attack video. Photo /Michael Craig

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The Corrections Department said another letter by Tarrant containing objectionable content was among a few not caught by mail vetting staff
He would now be blocked from sending or receiving mail pending a review, said the chief of Corrections


The man accused of killing 51 people at two mosques will now be blocked from sending or receiving mail pending a review, says the chief of New Zealand’s Corrections Department.


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New Zealand

New Zealand to review laws after second letter sent from jail by Christchurch mosque attacker Brenton Tarrant emerges

The Corrections Department said another letter by Tarrant containing objectionable content was among a few not caught by mail vetting staff He would now be blocked from sending or receiving mail pending a review, said the chief of Corrections

The Corrections Department said another letter by Tarrant containing objectionable content was among a few not caught by mail vetting staff

He would now be blocked from sending or receiving mail pending a review, said the chief of Corrections