Dubai: A murder convict told a court on Monday that he has to evacuate his parents from war-torn Aleppo and sought an early release from prison where he has been serving a life sentence.
In 2005, the Dubai Cassation Court confirmed a life sentence against the Syrian convict, M.A., for committing a premeditated murder and hiding the victim’s body in April 2004.
Having served more than 12 years of his life imprisonment, M.A. lodged a special plea before the Dubai Court of First Instance’s presiding judge Urfan Omar seeking an early release based on grounds of good conduct and having memorised the Quran in full while serving his jail term in Dubai Central Jail.
“Why were you imprisoned?” presiding judge Omar asked the petitioner.
“I was sent to prison for involvement in a premeditated murder. I was sentenced to life. I am seeking forgiveness and an early release. My father and mother are stuck in Aleppo and I am their only hope to evacuate them from there … that is why I’ve lodged this petition to be pardoned from remaining in prison. Your honour, I am a certified Quran tutor inside prison. The Dubai International Holy Quran Award’s higher committee granted me a certificate and I have been teaching other inmates to recite the Quran,” M.A. told the presiding judge in court.
Prosecution records show that the murder was reported in April 2004 and the Syrian defendant was apprehended in May the same year.
M.A. was later referred to the Dubai Court of First Instance that convicted him of premeditated murder and disposing of the victim’s body in June 2005.
Later, during the same year, the courts of Appeal and Cassation upheld the life jail term.
In a short verbal argument, the Syrian petitioner told the court he is seeking forgiveness and seeking a pardon and early release from jail.
He said he is hopeful that the court would approve his petition because he is his parents’ only hope to help them out of what he described as “their miserable and desperate situation”.
M.A. mentioned that he has completed more than 12 years behind bars during which he served his punishment without violating the jail’s rules and regulations and has enjoyed a “violation-free and clean record” since 2004.
The petitioner provided the court with a letter issued from the jail’s management confirming that he showed serious interest in correcting himself by memorising the Quran completely and teaching it to other inmates.
The convict lodged his petition based on article 1/45 of the Federal Law No 43 of 1992, concerning regulating punitive and correctional establishments.
Presiding judge Omar will hand out a decision on November 21.
