'No pardon': Yemeni man's family demands execution of Nimisha Priya
What's the story
The brother of Talal Abdo Mehdi, the Yemeni man allegedly murdered by Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya in 2017, has demanded her execution. Abdelfattah Mehdi said there can be no pardon for the crime and expressed his family's discontent with Indian media's portrayal of Priya as a victim. Priya's execution, which was scheduled for Wednesday, has been postponed after extensive negotiations involving the Indian government, religious leaders, and other international parties.
Execution delay
Negotiations ongoing with Musliyar
Kerala CPI-M secretary MV Govindan said that negotiations are ongoing with Grand Mufti Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar, who is mediating talks between Yemen authorities and Mehdi's family. "Musliyar has told me that the execution has been kept in abeyance, and there are more aspects which are being discussed," Govindan said. The biggest challenge now is to make Mehdi's family understand the situation and agree on a 'blood money' arrangement for forgiveness under Sharia law.
Financial aid
Yusuf Ali offers to help
Kerala billionaire MA Yusuf Ali has also offered to provide financial support for the 'blood money' arrangement. Since the announcement of her execution date, politicians across Kerala have sought intervention from both the Union government and President Droupadi Murmu. People from various quarters had worked hard to stop the execution, including the Indian government, Saudi Arabian agencies, and religious intervention from Musliyar. Musliyar is said to have reached out to a friend in Yemen's Shoora Council to help mediate.
Case background
Priya's ordeal
In the end, the execution was deferred until further orders. Priya moved to Yemen in 2008 and worked as a nurse before opening a clinic with Mehdi. In 2017, she allegedly killed Mehdi during a dispute over her confiscated passport. She was arrested while trying to flee Yemen and convicted of murder in 2018. A death sentence was handed down in 2020, which Yemen's Supreme Judicial Council upheld in November 2023 but allowed for clemency through blood money arrangements.