Experts differ on legal aspects of trying minor girlsJEDDAH – Five students were found responsible for setting a fire which got out of control and engulfed parts of Bara'em Al-Watan School, resulting in the deaths of two teachers and injuries to at least 56 pupils, the Civil Defense Administration in Jeddah Governorate has concluded in its report. Four of the five school girls have confessed to deliberately setting the fire, said Brigadier Abdullah Jeddawi, Director of Civil Defense in Jeddah, announcing the results of the investigation, Wednesday. The girls are believed to have set fire to a bunch of old newspapers in the school's basement in order to set off a fire alarm. The confessions were attested in the Jeddah General Court and registered in the presence of members of an investigative committee, school personnel and the guardians of the four students. The confession comes as part of a huge investigation into the cause of the fire. The investigation is being conducted by the Civil Defense Administration (CDA), the police, General Investigation Department and the Education Administration. On Wednesday the CDA announced that the scorching heat and density of carbon precipitates show that the fire started quite a while before it was reported. The investigation found that the female students played with fire by setting ablaze a heap of newspapers in the basement in order to set off the school fire alarm. The fire spread to other parts of the basement and got out of control. In their panic the girls decided to escape without reporting the matter to anyone in the school administration, the report said. Meanwhile, the chief of the general court in Jeddah has responded by saying that the students may have to pay blood money to the victims. Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Gini said: “The confessions furnish conclusive evidence against them should they be made to stand trial at the General Court if the bereaved families ask for blood money.” He warned that the girls may be tried at the District Court if the Prosecutor General demands corporal punishment and could even be sent to a correctional house for educational and psychological rehabilitation. He insisted that the law classifies anyone below 15 years as minor regardless of their gender. However, Khaled Abu Rashid, a legal advisor, has warned against unduly criminalizing the school girls. He said it should be borne in mind that girls this age are not mature enough to assess the consequences of their actions. He indicated that other parties may be held accountable for carelessness and negligence. Abu Rashid said that all these factors would be taken into consideration if the students are tried in court. “In any case the girls' guardians will be held responsible for their children's action so they will have to pay the blood money or any monetary compensation,” he said. The investigating committee is completing the remaining investigation procedures and will forward their findings to the authorities concerned.
