Prisoner serving life term blames harsh conditions for arson

Dubai: An Omani serving life sentence for arson at Bur Dubai police station in 2001 said he was not involved in starting the fire.

Mohammad, then 22, was arrested for taking narcotic drugs in August of that year and was under trial when he was suspected of arson at the police station. The fire claimed the lives of 14 prisoners, some of whom were his friends. Three police officers were also seriously injured.

Mohammad, who is serving his sentence at Dubai Central Jail, told Gulf News that he still clearly remembers the incident nine years ago.

"I was not involved in the fire, but I knew that one of the prisoners was going to do so," Mohammad said.

"One of the prisoners decided to burn down the jail due to the harsh circumstances we were in at that time," he alleged. "It was hell," he said.

"They kept us in solitary confinement. There was no space to breathe. We were not allowed even to use the bathroom," he alleges.

Slashed wrist

The jail management wanted to prevent the prisoners from being in touch with any jailer because they suspected the prisoners would convince officials to let them bring drugs into the prison, he said.

Mohammad said a group of the prisoners decided to set fire to the jail to protest the conditions. "We just wanted to be allowed to go to the courtyard to get some fresh air," he said.

Mohammad said that when the other prisoners ignited the fire he was locked up in another cell. "I did not participate or agree on the arson, but when I was interrogated I admitted that I knew that some prisoners planned to burn down the jail," he said.

He claimed many prisoners had earlier slashed their wrists to protest the poor conditions. "Some of those who died in the fire had earlier been hospitalised after attempting suicide," he said.

On April 9, 2003, the Dubai Court of First Instance found six inmates guilty of deliberate arson and destruction of the Bur Dubai Police Station in 2001. The six inmates were jailed for 25 years each. The Court also convicted them of arson and ordered them to jointly pay Dh210,000 against the damages.

"We are poor and cannot afford to pay," he said.

Mohammad turns 31 this year. "I wish that time takes me back to my youth. I will look after myself. I will study and will never miss a school day. If I had been like that may be now instead of spending the rest of my life in jail I may have been working, have a family, a good life.

"I hope one day I will be out of jail and start a new life," he said.