Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Attack on Christchurch Mosques
This submission is made on behalf of Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand (AIANZ). Amnesty International is a global movement of over 7 million people who protect human dignity and defend human rights. In New Zealand we have approximately 40,000 supporters and work on a wide range of human rights issues of both national and international significance.
This submission is intended to be a thematic summary of key issues that AIANZ believes should be of central consideration to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Attack on Christchurch Mosques (the Royal Commission) and any future responses. This submission also includes direct quote comments and feedback from our consultation with members and supporters who chose to respond to the questions posed by the Royal Commission.
AIANZ thanks the Royal Commission for this opportunity to contribute a submission to its work. The stated intention of the Royal Commission is to “look into what State sector agencies knew about the individual’s activities before the attack, what, if anything, they did with that information, what measures agencies could have taken to prevent the attack, and what measures agencies should take to prevent such attacks in the future.”
From beginning to end, AIANZ encourages the Royal Commission to place people and their rights at the centre of its processes, and any future recommendations. The opportunity of this Inquiry to both address the deep harm and abhorrent loss of life that took place on March 15, and to instigate significant positive long-term changes in Aotearoa New Zealand is significant. In order to do so, it is essential that the process learn from other jurisdictions, our communities, and our own past mistakes, given the issues of freedom and safety that are at stake.