Family members of the victims of the Villaggio fire speaking to the media near the court yesterday.
DOHA: Parents of children who died in the Villaggio Mall fire say justice has been served by the verdict by a lower criminal court yesterday. They said they were surprised to know that the defendants were sentenced to imprisonment for a period longer than what they had expected. “We are very surprised by the verdict, because we were expecting a lighter sentence. All parents are happy. I was present at the court with four other families,” said Mohammad Mouneeb, a South African who lost his child.
Mouneeb said parents were very excited when the verdict was read out and “one of the parents almost jumped from his seat. He was sitting next to me, and was so emotional.” “It had been a long year with so much pain and stress and we are all very glad about the sentences,” he added. Asked about the possibility of the convicts appealing against the verdict, he said, “They will appeal and might get a lighter sentence, but we are happy with the initial ruling.”
Abdul Masseih, father of one of the children killed, said he was happy with the verdict. “Such a harsh judgement would help prevent repetition of such tragic incidents.”
Social networking sites were abuzz with comments by the affected parents and well-wishers as news about the verdict spread yesterday.
A Facebook page dedicated to triplets Lillie, Jackson and Willsher Weekes, who died in the blaze, said, “We are pleased with the judge’s decision...”. Some, commenting on Facebook, said, “Finally, some justice for all affected.” Some others called it a “silver lining.” Speaking to Al Jazeera English, Mohammad Sharabati, father of a three-year-old girl who died in the incident, said: “I’m very happy; all families are happy about the initial verdict. The government of Qatar has fulfilled their promise.”
On the fateful day of the fire, entrances to the Gympanzee nursery at the mall were blocked by smoke, trapping 13 children and four staff inside. Firefighters from the Qatari Civil Defence broke the roof of the mall to attempt a rescue.
Along with the 17 trapped in the nursery, two firefighters also died. The child victims were from Spain, New Zealand, France, Japan and South Africa, while three Filipina teachers and a teacher from South Africa also died. Seventeen people, most of them from the Civil Defence team, were injured after inhaling smoke.
The Heir Apparent H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani established a special committee to investigate the incident. It found that the fire started at the Nike store in Villaggio, caused by faulty electrical wiring in the fluorescent lights. It also found that all parties concerned had failed to adhere, in varying degrees, to related laws, systems and safety measures. The Peninsula
