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On the 26th of
October, 2015 Qatar's Appeals court overturned all five convictions and dropped all charges. The decision was met with shock and disappointment by the families of the blaze victims. During the judge's five-hour reading of the verdict some victim's family members reportedly stormed out
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During the appeal process, all those convicted remained free and able to travel; this was most clearly evident in the case of Sheikh al-Thani who remained in
Brussels as a diplomat despite being convicted of manslaughter nearly two years prior. Furthermore, all defendants were absent from the final
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Judge al-Sharafi further agreed with the owners of
Gympanzee in their claim that it was not technically nursery, but an “entertainment centre”. This decision fell inline with the civil employee that decided to license it as such. After establishing that Gympanzee was an entertainment centre rather
312:“It is quite frustrating how the defense lawyer continues to make a mockery out of court, joking around inappropriately and wasting time. Additionally, what’s absurd is for him to the pin the blame on the Nike store employee,” Raghda Kabbani – who lost her three-year-old daughter Hana in the fire.”
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is a private-businessman who owns the Qatari
Company for Real Estate and Commercial Projects (Villaggio). During his closing arguments, which are reported to have lasted approximately five hours, Mr. Rabban's defense attorney claimed that his client didn't own any shares in the mall and was not a
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Shortly following the fire, Qatar's
Attorney General, Dr. Ali al-Marri, issued the arrest of five people in connection with the incident, as well as the detention of both the manager and assistant manager of Villaggio, Tzoulios Tzoulio and Rami Itani, respectively. The assistant director of mall
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As the fire engulfed the
Gympanzee nursery, the entrances to the nursery became blocked by smoke, trapping 13 children and four staff inside. Firefighters from the Qatari Civil Defense force were forced to break a hole in the roof of the mall to attempt a rescue. Along with the 17 trapped in the
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In June 2013, a lower court found five defendants guilty of involuntary manslaughter, and sentenced each to six years in jail (the maximum allowable sentence). Rami Itani and
Mohammed Rahman were both acquitted. Husband and wife co-owners of Gympanzee, Sheikh Ali bin Jassim al-Thani and Iman
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There were also 17 injured persons as a result of smoke inhalation, most of them members of the Qatari Civil
Defense force. A total of 19 people lost their lives - 13 being children; three of them triplets from New Zealand. The investigation committee revealed that an electrical fault at the
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It is still unclear whether or not
Gympanzee was operating without a license from the Supreme Educational Council, as they had recently relinquished licensing duties to the Ministry of Social Affairs. An official at the ministry claimed that no license had ever been issued by their offices.
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partner in the company that owned the mall. Despite these claims, Mr. Rabban remained listed on the mall's website under “key people” as
Villagio's chairman. Mr. Rabban's defense attorney's tactics were heavily criticized by one of the parents of the victims that attended the hearing:
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The father of the killed triplets later said proper post-mortems weren't carried out on his children, despite the presence of "highly flammable paint and illegal flammable mouldings" at the mall. He blamed a closed emergency exit at the mall's daycare centre for the children's deaths.
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While Mr. Rabban was also cleared of his involuntary manslaughter charge, the court found that his company was guilty of the same crime and, as such; Villaggio and its insurance company would have to pay a fine of only $ 5,500, and compensation to the victim's families.
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On 28 May 2012 at around 11 A.M. a major fire broke out in the Villaggio Mall, triggering an alarm described by an eyewitness as being "a very benign fire alarm, almost like a door bell". At first many were not worried as there had been a recent false alarm.
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appeal hearing. During the hearing, Judge Abdalrahman al-Sharafi declared that he would be excluding all testimonies given by the victim's family as evidence, claiming that one cannot be a witness and a plaintiff in the same case.
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Co-owner of Gympanzee, Sheikh Ali bin Jassim al-Thani, is Qatar's ambassador to Belgium and is part of the powerful al-Thani family, his wife, Iman al-Kuwari, is the daughter of the then-Minister of Culture, Art, and Heritage,
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The Mall was partially re-opened on September 20, 2012, after meeting strict safety standards following the May fire that resulted in 19 deaths. The mall has since fully reopened, even with expanisions and extra capacity.
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nursery, two firefighters were killed. The victims included children from Spain, New Zealand, France, Japan, South Africa and The Philippines; along with three Filipino teachers and one teacher from South Africa.
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293:. The last guilty verdict fell to Mansour Nasir Fazza al-Shahwani, the Ministry of Business and Trade employee that issued Gympanzee its permits, Mr. al-Shahwani was sentenced to five years in jail.
197:. It is located on Al Waab street between the Hyatt Plaza and Sports City and has over 200 stores, including many famous brands in the U.S., U.K., Italian and German markets.
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store as the cause of the deadly fire. It also found that all parties concerned had lacked adherence in varying degrees to related laws, systems and safety measures.
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The mall contains the Gondolania Theme Park, an indoor theme park which includes the Gondolania Ice Rink, one of two
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and the regional Desert Cup tournament. It is the only Olympic-size rink in Qatar. Also included are a
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712:"Five charged in Villaggio fire deaths sentenced to jail for involuntary manslaughter - Doha News"
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660:"Report: Qatar's attorney general orders arrest of Villaggio, Gympanzee owners | Doha News"
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than a nursery, the co-owners were fare less criminally-accountable under Qatari law.
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security, Mohammed Abdul Rahman, was also detained in connection with the case.
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688:"Qatar court hears closing arguments in Villaggio Mall fire appeal - Doha News"
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768:"Victims' families shocked as Qatar envoy cleared over deadly mall blaze"
581:"The San Diego Union-Tribune - San Diego, California & National News"
595:"Gulf Times – Qatar's top-selling English daily newspaper - First Page"
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Al-Kuwari were among those convicted, along with Tzoulios Tzoulio and
426:"Rev up the Zamboni: the Desert Cup is back at the Vilaggio ice rink"
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734:"Embassy of the State of Qatar, Brussels | About the Ambassador"
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station nearby. It was built along with the Aspire Zone for the
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Migone, Paloma; Field, Michael; Kirk, Stacey (May 29, 2012).
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7 June 2006, reopened on 20 September 2012 after fire
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621:"Triplets' dad still waiting for Doha fire report"
821:List of shops & restaurants at Villaggio Mall
150:125,000 square meters (1,350,000 sq ft)
788:"Qatari court to decide on mall tragedy appeals"
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453:"Kiwi triplets among 19 killed in mall fire"
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504:"Blaze at Qatar shopping centre kills 19"
239:rinks in Qatar, which is the home of the
732:Brussels, Embassy of State of Qatar in.
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478:"NZ triplets feared dead in Qatar fire"
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639:"Emergency exit was locked - witness"
556:"Children killed in Qatar mall blaze"
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412:"List of Famous Brands at Villagio"
851:Shopping malls established in 2006
484:. Sky News Australia. May 29, 2012
200:The mall has direct access to the
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531:"Qatar mall blaze leaves 19 dead"
305:Abdulaziz bin Mohammed al-Rabban
291:Abdulaziz bin Mohammed al-Rabban
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42:Villaggio Mall interior in 2013
529:Shane, Daniel (May 28, 2012).
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299:Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari
247:center and a roller coaster.
132:Abdul Aziz Mohammed Al-Rabban
662:. 2012-10-04. Archived from
317:Appeal process and acquittal
27:Shopping mall in Doha, Qatar
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841:Ice hockey venues in Qatar
215:Inside, the interiors are
137:No. of stores and services
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116:Gondolania Entertainment
371:The People of Villaggio
330:of the court in anger.
241:Qatar Ice Hockey League
146:Total retail floor area
836:Shopping malls in Doha
344:The Venetian Las Vegas
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193:, the capital city of
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231:Gondolania Theme Park
89:25.26056°N 51.44306°E
846:Novelty architecture
738:www.qatarembassy.be
645:. January 24, 2013.
627:. January 24, 2013.
432:. February 28, 2011
280:Response and trials
219:-themed both as an
189:in the west end of
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482:Sky News Australia
349:The Venetian Macao
94:25.26056; 51.44306
221:Italian hill town
204:hotel, and has a
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124:Tzoulios Tzouliou
16:(Redirected from
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18:Villagio Mall
791:. Retrieved
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714:. 2013-06-20
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202:Aspire Tower
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105:Opening date
457:stuff.co.nz
187:Aspire Zone
92: /
67:Coordinates
830:Categories
793:2016-08-03
773:2016-08-03
748:2016-08-03
718:2016-08-03
694:2016-08-03
670:2016-08-03
560:Al Jazeera
397:2017-03-20
383:"About Us"
355:References
237:ice hockey
217:Italianate
206:Doha Metro
121:Management
80:51°26′35″E
77:25°15′38″N
643:3 News NZ
625:3 News NZ
251:2012 fire
113:Developer
31:Villaggio
605:June 15,
508:BBC News
338:See also
52:Location
565:May 29,
540:May 29,
514:May 29,
488:May 29,
462:May 29,
436:May 29,
163:Website
195:Qatar
181:is a
129:Owner
60:Qatar
607:2012
567:2012
542:2012
516:2012
490:2012
464:2012
438:2012
266:Nike
191:Doha
170:.com
56:Doha
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