Alexandre Bissonnette's parents say 'very severe sentence' denies all hope of rehabilitation

Manon Marchand and Raymond Bissonnette issued an open letter Monday evening, questioning the severity of the minimum 40-year sentence handed down to their son AlexandreBissonnette Friday and blaming the Crown for encouraging a "desire for revenge."

On Friday, Alexandre Bissonnette, 29,was sentenced to at least 40 years in prison for killing six men at a Quebec City mosque two years ago. He will be 67 before he'll be eligible to seek parole.

Bissonnette's parents point out the sentenceis the heaviest sentence imposed in Quebec since the death penalty was abolished in 1976.

"We consider this to be a very severe sentence."

They say the Crown's position seeking six consecutive periods of 25 years of parole ineligibility amounted to circumventing the abolition of the death penalty and extinguishingall hope of rehabilitation.

"Why deny convicts even the faintest hope?" they ask.

Bissonnette'sparents said last summer when they spoke publicly for the first time that theydidn'trealize until it was too latehow years of intimidation and bullying had affected their son's mental health.

• 'Alexandreis not a monster': Mosque shooter's parents speak publicly for 1st time

In Monday's open letter, they point outthat the bullying Alexandre endured"had devastating effects on his personality."

They say the solution to prevent another tragedy like the one perpetrated by their son is to "not lock someone up forever, but rather try to better understand and prevent bullying."

Appeal of sentence likely

Legal experts said Quebec Superior Court Justice Franois Huot'ssentence islikely to be appealedall the way to the Supreme Court.

Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre ImamHassanGuilletexpressed sympathy for Alexandre Bissonnette's parents after the sentence was rendered.

"They are as destroyed as we are," said GuilletFriday,after seeing them in the courtroom.

Survivors of the Quebec City mosque shootingand the families of the slain menexpressed their disappointment that children of the victims will have to revisit the casein 40 years, when Bissonnette will be able to apply for parole.

Read the full letter from Manon Marchand and Raymond Bissonnette below: