Juvenile Charged With 23 Murders Of Tahfiz, To Serve Time Until Pardoned By The King
Justice has finally been served for the tragedy that claimed the lives of 23 tahfiz students and 2 wardens of Pusat Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah.
On the 14th of September 2017, a fire started intentionally by the accused caused the senseless deaths of the youths and the wardens. The accused who cannot be named due to him being a juvenile was charged of all 23 murders under Section 34 and 302 of the Penal Code.
The conviction carries a mandatory death penalty, however since he was underaged when the crime was committed, he is protected under Section 97(1) of the Child Act 2001, which states that the death sentence shall not be pronounced or recorded against the accused if the crime was committed under the age of 18.
The same act under Section 97(2) also states that the accused be detained at the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
In other words, he will be serving time till he is pardoned by di-Pertuan Agong.
The teen also apologized to everyone involved and affected by the tragedy. His lawyer, Haijan Omar said that the defense team will appeal against the Judge’s decision.
The arson which claimed the lives of the tahfiz in 2017 was one of the worst fire disasters to ever be recorded by Malaysia in 20 years.
Reporter’s Opinions: Finally, justice is served for the grieving families.
It was a senseless murder and revisiting it brought tears to my eyes especially when I read the old reports where one of the casualties screamed out in pain, asking someone to save them.
I really hope the teen reflect and taubat during his incarceration. In a sense, he was also granted mercy by way of his sentence.
May Allah bless the souls lost in the fire and place them among the righteous.
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