MEDIA STATEMENT

Jane & Martin Weekes

Auckland, New Zealand

11 June 2015

For Immediate Release

Weekes Family Continue to Be Disappointed by Qatari No-Show

Jane and Martin Weekes, parents of the two-year-old New Zealand triplets killed in the Villaggio mall fire in Doha, Qatar, on 28 May 2012, have expressed their disappointment that their children’s killer, Qatar’s ambassador to the European Union, has once again refused to appear in Court, preferring to remain on the diplomatic cocktail circuit instead.

Ali Bin Jasim Bin Thani Al Thani has not yet served any of his six-year prison sentence and is currently serving as Qatar’s Ambassador to the European Union. The Qatar Courts are hearing an appeal by Mr Al Thani and his wife, co-convicted Iman Al Kuwari. He has only attended a single hearing since the triplet’s death over three years ago.

Previously Mr Al Thani pleaded work commitments as the reason he has continually failed to turn up at the Qatari courts. However, after Prime Minister Key met with HH the Emir last month to discuss the death of the Weekes triplets, Al Thani maintained he was too sick to travel and has not attended either of the two hearings since then. Mr and Mrs Weekes are unsure how Mr Al Thani managed to pursue his diplomatic duties in this time.

“We are never surprised at the lack of interest by Mr Al Thani towards our children’s deaths,” Mr and Mrs Weekes said. “While we express our disappointment yet again, we are resigned to accepting Mr Al Thani’s continual no-shows in Court.”

“We remain very distressed that two of the killers of our children are representing Qatar in a prestigious position in Brussels and that they use that as an excuse not even to attend court. We hope that they will soon be recalled.”

END

© Scoop Media