Qatar’s ambassador to EU has manslaughter conviction overturned

Qatar’s senior diplomat in Brussels has had his criminal conviction overturned in the case of a shopping centre fire that killed 19 people in the Gulf state.

Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al Thani continued to serve in Brussels as Qatar’s head of mission to the EU and Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2013.

Victims’ families criticised him for remaining in Brussels for much of the Appeals Court hearings, as he cited diplomatic commitments and health reasons.

But the Appeals Court in Qatar’s capital Doha today quashed the conviction of the member of the Gulf state’s ruling family and those of four others sentenced in the case.