THE  COMMITTEE   FOR  THE  DEFENSE  OF  HUMAN  RIGHTS  IN

THE  ARABIAN  PENINSULA

 DATE  : 20 / 03/ 2002  

NO  : 107 / H / 2002

The Tragedy of the 3lst Girl School Fire is a crime against the country and the citizens

It is a tragedy and a catastrophe occurred in a spot in our country and a crime committed against many female students and teachers who had no choice only yielding for death or forbearing on the oppression of the Saudi officials who have responsibility towards the security of citizens and pay no attention towards the safety facilities in school buildings.

This appalling incident is an image for tragic catastrophe caused death of 71 students and teachers on 8/3/2002 in the 3lst Girls` Intermediate School in Mecca's Hindawiya district due to a terrific fire.

This tragedy is a realistic evidence of neglection, carelessness , and lack with respect to education sector which is allocated big budget according to the annual public budget , but people did not notice any positive impact for that budget in this important sector.

The ill-fated school is one of thousands buildings rented by the General Presidency for Girls' Education (GPGE), and these buildings are unsuitable for schools and have no safety procedures as emergency exits , fire alarm, or fire extinguisher.

The above mentioned school is a small building in a narrow popular district includes more than 800 students. It is an example of worse truth of other schools.

The other thing that increased the tragedy was the shameful stand of the so-called Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV) which their members were at the school's main gate beating the girls with sticks and hampered rescue efforts and prevented the students` fathers , who came to assist , on the pretext that girls were not wearing the headscarves and the abayas.

The nescient Mutawa`een understand that the maintaining of the women's veil is better than their souls.

While we offer hottest condoleness to the victims` relatives and families, we call for them to submit complaints against who were responsible of that incident and the contributors of increasing its results and calling for setting up an urgent enquiry about the circumstances of the incident and the findings must be public , also the perpetrators  must be brought to justice We call for the UN Committee of Human Rights and other human rights groups to document and follow this case and consider it as gross human rights abuse.

They should call for Saudi regime to bring perpetrators to justice and unveil who cheating people's souls and abusers of the national security and stability through wasting the wealth and treasures of the country.

The Government should put an end to terrorist bodies and groups their aim is killing and assaulting the people's security , freedoms and rights.

These groups which try to apply stringent laws that are contrary to Islam and honest values.

Among these groups is so-called (VPVP) which their members do not understand any thing of Islamic rules and characterized of ignorance , retardation,  zealotry and sectarian hostility.