BREAKING: Quebec mosque shooter's sentence reduced after court rules it 'cruel and unusual'

The Quebec Court of Appeal, the highest court in Quebec, ruled on Thursday that consecutive life sentences constitute "cruel and unusual" punishment in a ruling which reduced the Quebec City mosque shooter's sentence from 40 to 25 years in prison.

Alexandre Bissonnette was sentenced to 40 years in prison with no chance of parole in February 2019. “Through your hatred and racism, you have destroyed the lives of dozens and dozens of people, and have irretrievably ruined yours and those of your family members,” Superior Court Justice François Huot told Bissonnette during the sentencing.

Bissonnette sent shockwaves across Canada in January 2017 when he carried a semi-automatic rifle and pistol into the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City, where he murdered six innocent worshippers and injured another 19. It was the largest mass killing in Canada since 2006.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the attack as an act of terrorism, a conclusion held by many politicians and members of the public. Bissonnette was not charged with terrorism-related offenses.

Bissonnette was charged with six counts of first-degree murder and six additional counts of attempted murder. He pleaded guilty to all charges laid against him in March of 2018.

The criminal code has allowed judges to instate consecutive life sentences since 2011 in blocks of 25 years, leading prosecutors in the Bissonnette case to initially push for a 150-year sentence, 25 years for every murder victim. Quebec Superior Court Justice Francois Huot instead opted for the 40 year sentence, justifying his position by stating that a sentence beyond the life expectancy would be "absurd" and violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

During his appeal case, however, Bissonnette's lawyers argued that he was not motivated by racism, that he chose to target Muslims as a way to rationalize his violent tendencies as opposed to holding a specific bloodlust for their faith, that the attack was not carefully planned, and that Bissonnette did not target children.

As a result, the judge agreed with Bissonnette's lawyers that he should be eligible for parole after 25 years.

The Crown suggested during the appeal that his sentence be increased to 50 years, a position which was rejected.

Members of Quebec's Islamic community have expressed disappointment with the ruling, arguing that Bissonnette should have faced harsher punishment. “It’s not anger that is overwhelming us,” The president of the mosque told reporters in 2019. “It is a disappointment.”