Nasra Yusuf Mohamed al-Enezi (also given as Nusra Anzi) became the first Kuwaiti woman ever to be hanged when she went to the gallows within Kuwait’s Central Prison on Wednesday the 25th of January 2017.
The al-Enezis were a well-to-do couple.
Nasra and her husband, 36-year-old Zayed Zafiri, had two children: Shaqha, aged 5, and Muhammad, aged 3.
Under Kuwaiti personal status law, a man is legally permitted more than one wife, and in August 2009, Zayed Zafiri married for the second time.
The then 23-year-old was convicted of setting fire to a packed wedding tent in Jahra on Saturday the 15th of August 2009, in what would become the deadliest civilian disaster in the country’s modern history.
In all, 57 women and children died in the blaze after Nasra poured petrol around the exterior of the tent and ignited it.
Within three minutes, the canvas and fabric structure was completely engulfed in flames.
The Crime: The Jahra Wedding Tent Fire
The crime was committed out of jealousy and in revenge for her husband taking a second wife.
The new bride managed to escape with injuries, but her mother and sister were killed, as were at least seven children.
In many cases, the bodies of the victims were burned beyond recognition and had to be positively identified through extensive DNA sampling and dental forensic records.
A further 90 people sustained severe burns and crush injuries in the stampede to escape.
It was reported that Nasra’s domestic maid told investigating police officers that she had seen her employer pouring petrol around the perimeter of the large women-only tent.
Men, including the groom, were gathered in a separate celebratory tent some distance away in accordance with local custom.
Unlicensed wedding tents for female guests were popular because ladies did not need to wear head coverings inside.
Due to having only a single narrow exit and lacking basic fire-safety precautions, such temporary wedding tents were outlawed across Kuwait following this disaster.
Investigation, Arrest, and Trial
Nasra was arrested the following day and initially confessed to the crime.
She was formally charged with premeditated murder, attempted murder, and arson, registered under Court Case No. 546/2009.
She was brought to trial before the Court of First Instance, with legal proceedings opening on the 27th of October 2009.
In court, she recanted her earlier statements, denied all charges, and testified that her initial confession had been extracted under physical duress and official coercion.
She also claimed that she had suffered the loss of an unborn child after being given abortion-inducing medication by a prison employee related to her husband.
On the 24th of November 2009, presiding Judge Adel al-Sager ordered Nasra to undergo comprehensive psychiatric evaluation after her defence counsel argued that she had suffered from unspecified psychological disorders since childhood.
The judge also agreed to summon the defendant’s husband and her Asian maid—who stated under oath that she witnessed her employer igniting the blaze—to give direct evidence at the subsequent hearing on the 8th of December 2009.
During her testimony, Nasra informed the bench that she had not poured fuel, but had instead poured “cursed water” onto the tent canvas as part of a black magic ritual intended to sour the marital union, reflecting occult defense themes seen in other international capital trials such as the Mona Fandey case in Malaysia.
Verdict and Judicial Appeals
On Tuesday the 30th of March 2010, Judge Adel al-Sager delivered the verdict of the Court of First Instance, convicting Nasra al-Enezi on all counts and sentencing her to death.
Her capital sentence was subsequently reviewed and unanimously upheld by the Kuwaiti Court of Appeal.
On the 12th of June 2011, the Court of Cassation (Kuwait’s supreme judicial body) rejected her final appeal and confirmed the death penalty.
This marked the first time in Kuwait’s judicial history that the highest appellate court had affirmed a death sentence against a female Kuwaiti citizen.
Under Kuwaiti law, the final death warrant required the formal endorsement of the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who declined to exercise executive clemency.
The Executions at Central Prison (25/01/2017)
On Monday the 23rd of January 2017, Nasra al-Enezi and two other condemned women were moved into individual isolation cells within Central Prison.
On the morning of the executions, exceptional security measures were enforced around the correctional facility, with police snipers stationed atop the roofs of surrounding compounds.
Four medical doctors and six forensic technicians arrived at Central Prison at 5:00 a.m.
The 30-year-old Nasra was transported by an armed police vehicle to the execution chamber located near the staff compound.
It is at this site that formal death warrants are read to condemned prisoners.
She was escorted up the gallows stairs by custodial officers and positioned directly above the trapdoors.
Upon the signal given by the dropping of the traditional black flag, the release lever was pulled, and she dropped through the scaffold, dying from cervical dislocation under the long drop system described in the evolution of the long drop in the 20th century.
The Sevenfold Mass Execution
A total of seven prisoners were executed on the same morning at Central Prison, carried out in sequential stages:
- Sheikh Faisal Abdullah Al-Sabah: The first member of the Kuwaiti royal family ever executed in the country, convicted of the 2010 shooting murder of his nephew, Sheikh Basil Salem Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, over a personal dispute.
- Nasra al-Enezi: Hanged individually approximately thirty minutes after the first execution.
- Jakatia Mandon Pawa: A 42-year-old Filipina domestic worker convicted of murdering her employer’s 22-year-old daughter in 2008.
- Omkel Oku Mekonnen: An Ethiopian domestic worker convicted of the 2008 murder of her Lebanese employer’s daughter in Hawalli.
- Two Egyptian Nationals: Executed for separate, unrelated premeditated murders.
- A Bangladeshi National: Executed following conviction for aggravated abduction and rape.
All three condemned women were reported by observers to have been in a state of extreme emotional distress and near physical collapse as they were escorted to the scaffold.
By 10:30 a.m., the executions were concluded and all bodies had been removed by mortuary vans for autopsies and burial.
The Kuwaiti domestic press was excluded from attending the executions, and local newspapers published only standard official notices without critical editorial commentary.
Official Government Statement
Responding to formal protests lodged by international human rights organizations and European bodies (whose abolitionist policies are outlined in the end of capital punishment in Europe), the Assistant Foreign Minister for Legal Affairs, Ambassador Ghanim Al-Ghanim, issued an official statement via the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA):
“The death penalty verdicts pronounced by the courts were in cases of premeditated murders and the punishment was carried out after exhausting all levels of litigation. The verdicts were based on indisputable evidence that the convicts committed the crimes as charged. The evidence included testimonies from witnesses and confessions by those accused of committing grave crimes.
The verdicts were announced following fair and public trials in which all the guarantees stipulated by the Kuwaiti law were provided and lawyers assumed the task of defending their clients.
The verdicts were upheld by the Cassation Court, the country’s highest court, and became res judicata that could not be challenged. By carrying out the court verdicts, Kuwait did not violate any of the covenants it had ratified, in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Arab Charter for Human Rights, or international norms or the GCC Declaration of Human Rights.
This is very clear in the fact that such verdicts are pronounced by a high independent and neutral judiciary in public trials where the accused are defended by their lawyers.”
Analytical Commentary
There seems little doubt that Nasra al-Enezi was the individual who ignited the blaze, but what remains subject to debate is whether she anticipated the catastrophic death toll or merely intended to disrupt the wedding party in an act of jealousy.
Given the horrific loss of 57 lives—predominantly women and young children—public sentiment was overwhelmingly hostile toward her, an atmosphere highlighted by her legal representatives.
The sheer scale of the civilian disaster made it politically impossible for the Amir to grant executive clemency.
The execution was also notable for the rare hanging of a royal family member alongside common citizens, reflecting Kuwait’s determination to project an unyielding application of capital justice, comparable to female capital cases across the Commonwealth detailed in capital punishment in the British Commonwealth and Sandra Smith in South Africa.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Nasra al-Enezi?
Nasra Yusuf Mohamed al-Enezi was a 23-year-old Kuwaiti housewife who set fire to an unlicensed wedding tent in Jahra on August 15, 2009, after her husband took a second wife. The fire killed 57 women and children, making her the first Kuwaiti woman executed in the country’s history when she was hanged on January 25, 2017.
What caused the high death toll in the Jahra wedding tent fire?
The large tent had only one narrow exit door, was constructed from highly flammable canvas, and lacked any emergency firefighting provisions. Once petrol was ignited around the perimeter, the entire structure collapsed in flames within three minutes, trapping dozens inside.
What legal appeals were mounted in Nasra al-Enezi’s defense?
Her defence argued that her confession had been obtained under coercion, that she suffered from childhood psychological disorders, and that she had merely poured “cursed water” for black magic rather than fuel. The Court of First Instance, Court of Appeal, and Court of Cassation rejected these claims, upholding the mandatory death sentence.
Who else was executed on January 25, 2017, in Kuwait?
A total of seven prisoners were hanged that morning at Central Prison, including Sheikh Faisal Abdullah Al-Sabah (the first Kuwaiti royal executed), Filipina maid Jakatia Mandon Pawa, Ethiopian maid Omkel Oku Mekonnen, two Egyptian men, and a Bangladeshi national.
How did the Jahra fire alter Kuwaiti law?
Following the disaster, the Kuwaiti government passed strict municipal safety regulations completely banning unlicensed temporary wedding tents and mandating clear fire exits and non-flammable materials for public gathering structures.
Support the Archive
If you have found this article useful and would like to help preserve and maintain this historical archive, please consider supporting the site.