'Justice hasn't had its last say': Survivors of the Quebec City mosque shooting in their own words

Survivors of the Quebec City mosque shooting, and loved ones of those who were slain, expressed frustration and confusion on Friday after gunmanAlexandreBissonnette was sentenced to 40 years in prison without the possibility of parole.

"This person who killed six, left 17 orphans, he's being given the chance to walk in society again," said Said El-Amari, who was shot twice byBissonnetteat the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre on Jan. 29, 2017.

The Crown hadasked for Bissonnette'sparole ineligibility periods to be served consecutively, for a total of 150 years, which would have been the longest prison sentence in Canadian history.

As it is,Bissonnettewill be eligible for parole when he is 67.

"[The children] will have to show up again, to try to keep this assassin inside,"El-Amari, a father of four,said.He was visibly angry and struggled to maintain his composure when speaking with reporters at the courthouse.

He said it sent the message that "a Canadian Muslim is worth less than another Canadian."

"For the threeRCMPofficers who were killed in cold blood in New Brunswick, justice was swift," he said, noting that the gunman in that case,JustinBourque, was sentenced to75 yearswithout parole.

"There was never any question of if he'd re-enter society."

El-Amariwill be 82 whenBissonnetteisup for parole and expects he'll have to "live this pain again."

Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre ImamHassanGuilletcalled the sentence "creative," noting thatSuperior Court JusticeFranoisHuothad "insisted on the hateful character of this criminal act."

"[Bissonnette]came tokillthese peoplefor the onlyreason thatthey wereMuslim," he said.

As he read the sentence,HuotsaidBissonnette's"crimes were truly motivated by race, and a visceral hatred toward Muslim immigrants."

ForGuillet, the sentence is a missed opportunity to send a message to anyone inciting hatred online or elsewhere.

Mosque co-founder Boufeldja Benabdallah said the whole Muslim community is disappointed and surprised by the judge's decision.

He asks Quebecers to understand what it feels like for members of the Muslim community right now.

"I hope, that this disappointment transfers into something productive," he said.

Aymen Derbali, who was left tetraplegic after being struck by seven bullets in the shooting, said he had "wanted the sentence to match the crime." He was surprised.

"We would have liked justice to have been served for all the victims," he said.

Mohamed Labidi, the former president of themosque, said the community rejects the judge's decision.

"We have faith in justice. Justice hasn't had its last say," Labidi said.

MegdaandAmirBelkacemi, whose fatherKhaledBelkacemiwas killed in the shooting,thanked theRCMP, provincial police and Quebec City police for doing "a remarkable job."

Victims' families in Quebec mosque shooting 'astonished' by shooter's sentence

6 years ago

Duration 4:18

Alexandre Bissonnette, who pleaded guilty to killing six men at a Quebec City mosque two years ago, will serve an automatic life sentence and be allowed to go before the Parole Board of Canada after serving 40 years. Victims and their families say they're flabbergasted and extremely disappointed by the judge's parole decision.