One hour after the primary of 4 youths was handed a manslaughter sentence in connection to the demise of 16-year-old Ahmad Al Marrach, his mom, Basima Al Jaji recounted how “insufferable” the final 12 months has been for his or her household.
“All the pieces good was in Ahmad,” Al Jaji mentioned throughout an unique interview on the Halifax provincial courthouse on Thursday with the assistance of an interpreter. “I’m not saying this as a result of I’m his mother. However that is how Ahmad was. I can not settle for what has occurred.”
Ahmad was a Grade 10 scholar in Halifax who had come to Canada together with his household from Syria in 2016. In April 2024, he was attacked and stabbed in a parking storage subsequent to the Halifax Procuring Centre and later died in hospital.
4 youths had been ultimately charged in connection together with his demise.
Throughout sufferer affect statements in January, Al Jaji instructed the courtroom that Ahmad was a sort, compassionate boy who beloved to please folks round him.
Al Jaji mentioned that her son had helped her elevate his youthful siblings — bathing them, dressing them, feeding them, placing them to sleep and caring for them after they had been sick.
In January, Al Jaji instructed the courtroom that Ahmad’s youthful siblings nonetheless requested when he would come dwelling.
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She mentioned he would typically take his siblings exterior to play and convey them dwelling little items after he obtained off faculty.
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“He by no means got here dwelling empty-handed,” Al Jaji mentioned in her assertion. “He at all times introduced one thing for his siblings. He used to return into the kitchen and ask me, ‘Mama, do you want assist?’”
After fleeing the battle in Syria for a greater life, Al Jaji instructed International Information the irony of Ahmad’s demise is extraordinarily tough.
“I got here with my youngsters right here and with my household, pondering that Canada is a safe place for a brand new begin,” Al Jaji mentioned. “Nobody can really feel what I’m going by. I really feel that I’ve died with my son.”
Ahmad Al Marrach died following a four-on-one assault on the Halifax Procuring Centre parking zone on April 22, 2024.
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A 14-year-old woman who pled responsible to manslaughter in connection to Ahmad’s demise was given three extra months in custody, adopted by 24 months of rehabilitation in group, as a part of the Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision program, in any other case often called IRCS.
She had been in custody since shortly after the incident in April 2024.
To qualify for IRCS, Choose Mark Heerema instructed the courtroom, the person in query should be a youth with a identified historical past of psychological well being struggles. He defined that though some might view the woman’s sentence as too lenient, it improves her prospects for profitable reintegration into society.
However Al Jaji identified her son had life experiences too that would have affected his psychological well being.
“After we left Syria, Ahmad was injured in his shoulder from a bomb. And he had seen his niece dying in entrance of his personal eyes,” Al Jaji mentioned, including that the household lived below battle for 2 and a half years.
“I’m saying what Ahmad went by, as a result of I’m evaluating between the type of issues Ahmad had went by, and the type of issues that they had been saying (…) the woman had went by – her childhood.”
Al Jaji mentioned Ahmad ought to have been negatively impacted rising up throughout the battle and witnessing atrocities every day. But when he did wrestle, he by no means confirmed it. He at all times put his household first, she mentioned.
Al Jaji mentioned Ahmad was so beloved by everyone as a result of he “had a sort coronary heart.”
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In her sufferer affect assertion, she recalled Ahmad bringing her a bouquet of flowers simply two days earlier than he was killed.
“I requested him, ‘Ahmad, why did you purchase these?’ He mentioned, ‘Mama, aren’t you sick?’ He gave his siblings a flower every and was very joyful that he gave everybody one thing,” she instructed the courtroom.
To this present day, Al Jaji mentioned she nonetheless wakes up in the midst of the night time to test on her six youngsters. She watches them sleep, tucked safely of their beds — however then it dawns on her that Ahmad isn’t there.
“I want justice for Ahmad,” Al Jaji mentioned. “I want the federal government; I want the people who find themselves accountable to really feel.”
© 2025 International Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
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