Three Years Since Villaggio Fire

Jane and Martin Weekes, the parents of the two-year-old triplets, New Zealand citizens, who were killed in the Villaggio mall fire in Doha, Qatar, on 28 May 2012 will be reflecting on the short lives of Lillie, Jackson and Wilsher today while the people responsible for their death remain unpunished and on the diplomatic cocktail circuit in Europe.

Last month, Mr and Mrs Weekes asked New Zealand Prime Minister John Key to raise with HH the Emir of Qatar their distress that one of their children’s convicted killers, Ali Bin Jasim Bin Thani Al Thani, has not yet served any of his six-year prison sentence but is currently serving as Qatar’s Ambassador to the European Union while his appeal is considered, along with that of his co-convicted wife, Iman Al Kuwari. Al Thani and his wife have delayed Court proceedings by continually failing to appear in Court.

Mr Key confirmed he spoke with the HH the Emir on 14 April. HH the Emir confirmed the meeting, publicly announcing he was “utterly committed to making sure those who are responsible will be held to account.”

Immediately following that meeting, Mr Al Thani, based in Brussels, again refused to appear in the Appeal Court at Qatar this month though he faces jail time for involuntary manslaughter. Closing arguments begin on 7 June, with a verdict likely to be released at the end of the month.

“We are disappointed but not surprised that Mr Al Thani is refusing to attend Court. At least we know that our Prime Minister, John Key, has taken this matter seriously and we are sure he will continue to do so,” Mr and Mrs Weekes said.

“We continue to hope that our three children will receive justice, but today we will be reflecting on the short time we had with them.”

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