Influential Sunni cleric steps in as last-ditch efforts underway to save Indian nurse on Yemen death row
Nimisha Priya, a native of Kerala, is reportedly scheduled to be executed on July 16 for the alleged 2017 murder of her Yemeni business partner Talal Abdo Mahdi.
'All efforts are on to save Nimisha Priya,' her lawyer Subhash Chandran told TNIE. 'In the latest efforts, through the intervention of influential Sunni Muslim cleric Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, we have reached out to one of the family members, as well as some local authorities and religious leaders. We are trying our best so that the family accepts the blood money and the Kerala nurse is spared from death row.'
According to sources close to the negotiations, Musliyar — who holds the title of Grand Mufti of is officially known as Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad — has stepped in personally and is making 'all possible efforts' to open a channel of reconciliation. He has reportedly held talks with religious authorities in Yemen, who in turn are in contact with the victim's family.
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First Post
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- First Post
Nimisha Priya's execution in Yemen delayed: How blood money has saved Indians on death row
Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who is on death row in Yemen for the murder of her former business partner, has got a temporary reprieve. Her execution, set for Wednesday, has been postponed. Only 'blood money' or 'diyah' can save her from the gallows. But what is it? And has it helped Indians in similar situations? read more Only blood money can save Nimisha Priya from the gallows in Yemen. News18 Malayalam The execution of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who is on death row in Yemen, has been deferred. The Indian has been convicted of killing her former business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, a Yemeni national. Nimisha was set to be executed on Wednesday (July 16). The postponement of her execution is, however, only a temporary relief. She can be saved from the gallows only if the family of Mahdi accepts 'blood money' and pardons her. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What is it and has it saved Indians before? We take a look. What is 'blood money'? Islamic law allows victims of crimes or their families to have a say in the punishment of the offenders. In the case of murder, the victim's kin, particularly heirs, can 'forgive' the murderer in exchange for monetary compensation. The concept is known as diyah, or blood money, and can be traced to the Holy Quran. 'O believers! The law of retaliation is set for you in cases of murder — a free man for a free man, a slave for a slave, and a female for a female. But if the offender is pardoned by the victim's guardian, then 'blood money' should be decided fairly and payment should be made courteously. This is a concession and a mercy from your Lord.' Many Islamic countries, including Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan, which follow Sharia law, allow the family of the victim to pardon the offender for money. If diyah is accepted, the death sentence is suspended. In many cases, the person is also pardoned by the government of the country. ALSO READ: How efforts to delay Indian nurse Nimisha Priya's execution in Yemen unfolded Has blood money saved Indian lives? Yes. Over the years, blood money has been offered to protect people, including Indians, from the noose. Last year, Abdul Rahim, a native of Kerala's Kozhikode, was saved from execution for the murder of a teenage boy in Saudi Arabia after 15 million Saudi riyals (roughly Rs 34 crore) were raised through crowdfunding. The blood money led the Riyadh criminal court to revoke his death sentence. Rahim, the then 26-year-old autorickshaw driver from Feroke, had reached the Gulf country in November 2006 for a better life. He started working as a driver for Saudi national Abdulla Abdurahman Al Shahri and caretaker of his partially paralysed son, who breathed and ate through a special device attached to his neck. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Just a month later, Rahim, who was trying to control the boy making a fuss during a trip, accidentally hit the instrument attached to his throat. The boy fainted and died. Later, a court in Riyadh found Rahim guilty of murder and awarded him the death penalty. After paying blood money, Rahim's death sentence was commuted to a 20-year jail term, including the time already served. He is expected to be free in December 2026, finally. In 2017, AS Sankaranarayanan returned to his home in Kerala after languishing in prison in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for years for the accidental death of a Bangladeshi worker. The worker had died of electrical shock in a washroom at his labour accommodation in 2009. Sankaranarayanan was ordered to pay 200,000 dirhams (Rs 47 lakh) as blood money to the family of the Bangladeshi worker, but could not come up with the compensation. After a report on his plight was published by Gulf News, many people offered to help. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Eventually, Emirates Islamic Bank donated the full amount of the blood money, securing Sankaranarayanan's release. Another Indian was saved from the gallows that year. A man from Telangana, who worked as a gardener in the house of one Shaikh Ghain, was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for killing an elderly man. CH Limbadri pushed the 82-year-old man who was allegedly attempting a theft at his employer's residence in 2007 to the ground, killing him. The Indian was arrested and a local court awarded him capital punishment. The efforts of the Centre and the Telangana government, especially Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha, led to Limbadri's employer to pay the Rs 1.80 lakh blood money to the deceased's family. Limbadri returned to his family in March 2017. In 2014, three Indian men on death row in Saudi Arabia for the murder of their compatriot were saved from execution after an Indian businessman paid nearly Rs 1.12 crore blood money on their behalf. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Saleem Basha, an Indian truck driver from Bengaluru, escaped the death penalty in 2013, when the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia paid around Rs 1.5 crore in blood money to the families of nine people killed in a road accident in 2006. In 2014, Surinder Pal Singh Oberoi, an entrepreneur turned philanthropist, paid $1 million (about Rs 8.59 crore today) as 'blood money' to secure the release of 17 Indian nationals on death row in the UAE for killing a Pakistani man. The Pakistani man was killed in 2009 in Sharjah, following a dispute over control of an illegal alcohol business. About 50 people stabbed him repeatedly, leading to his death. The Indians, who had gone to Sharjah for work, were found guilty and sentenced to death in March 2010. Nimisha Priya's only hope is 'blood money' Nimisha Priya, who hails from Palakkad in Kerala, can be saved from execution in Yemen if Mahdi's family pardons her. The 38-year-old nurse is currently in a jail in Sana'a, the Yemeni capital city, under the control of the Houthi rebels. The Save Nimisha Priya Action Council, a citizens' group advocating for the nurse's release, has offered Rs 8.5 crore to the deceased Yemeni national's kin as blood money. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD External Affairs Ministry (EAM) sources told BBC on Tuesday (July 15) that its officials had been in touch regularly with jail authorities and the prosecutor's office in Yemen. The Indian government 'made concerted efforts in recent days to seek more time for the family of Ms Nimisha Priya to reach a mutually agreeable solution with the other party', they said. On Monday, the Centre had informed the Supreme Court that it was doing whatever was 'utmost possible' to save the Indian nurse from execution. However, it noted that 'nothing much' could be done given the situation in Yemen, where there has been a civil war since 2011. 'There is a point up to which the Government of India can go and we have reached that point,' Attorney General R Venkataramani informed the top court. With inputs from agencies
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Watch: Who is Nimisha Priya and how did she end up on death row in Yemen?
A Kerala nurse faces execution in war-torn Yemen. Nimisha Priya moved to Yemen in 2008, chasing a better future. Years later, she's on death row, accused of killing her former business partner, amid claims of abuse and desperation. Her family and activists are racing against time to save her, with just one hope left: a pardon from the victim's family. But with no diplomatic ties between India and the Houthi regime, and delays in negotiations, the clock is ticking. Could she be executed soon? Nimisha Priya's story is tragic, complex, and deeply painful, a tale of poverty, desperation, abuse, and a fatal mistake that may now cost her life. Script: Shikha Kumari A Presentation: Athira Madhav Videography: Thamodharan B Production: Shibu Narayan
India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
Who is Mufti Musliyar? Indian cleric who has come forward to save Nimisha Priya from execution in Yemen, he is from...
New Delhi: There is still a ray of hope for Nimisha Priya, the Indian nurse who is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday, July 16 in Yemen. Priya, a nurse from Kerala, has been awarded death sentence by Yemen's court for the alleged murder of her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi. As a last-ditch effort to save her, Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar is said to lead a delegation to talk to and assure the victim's family to accept blood money and pardon Priya, the only legal option left under Yemeni law to halt her execution. Who is Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad? Officially known as Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar is the 10th and current Grand Mufti of India. He is also the General Secretary of the All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama (the Indian Muslim Scholars Association) and General Secretary of Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama of AP Sunnis. What is the process to halt Nimisha Priya's execution? Talks between religious leaders of India and Yemen continue as according to a report, Grand Mufti of India A. P. Abubakar Musliyar of Kanthapuram and famous Sufi scholar Sheikh Habib Umar bin Hafiz of Yemen are talking on this issue. The discussions also include a judge of the Supreme Court of Yemen and the brother of the deceased. Mufti Musliyar persuaded Sheikh Habib of Yemen for talks. This is also the first time that a close member of the victim's family has agreed to the talks. It has to be noted that the entire conversation is taking place under Sharia law, which gives the victim's family the legal right to forgive the culprit without any condition or in exchange for blood money. When was Nimisha Priya convicted? Thirty-seven-year-old Nimisha Priya was convicted in the 2017 murder case of her Yemeni business partner. Since then she has been on death row in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. According to Priya's legal team, she gave sedatives to Talal Abdo Mahdi to recover her passport and escape what she described as prolonged abuse. However, Mahdi died of overdose, and Priya was arrested while attempting to leave the country. What does her lawyer say? Subhash Chandran, the lawyer representing Nimisha Priya, has confirmed that Mufti Musliyar has reached out to the family of Mahdi, the deceased and is also engaged in parleys with religious and community leaders in Yemen to reach a fruitful solution. 'We are trying our best so that the family accepts the blood money and the Kerala nurse is spared from death row,' said Chandran as cited by The New Indian Express. Mufti Musliyar is said to have reportedly initiated personal communication with the victim's relatives, as well as with Yemeni religious authorities who are in contact with the family. In Yemen, execution is by shooting near the heart In Yemen, the death penalty is given only by shooting. However, there is also a provision for stoning, hanging and beheading, but these are not used. Before shooting, the convict is made to lie face down on a carpet or blanket. After this, the doctor makes a mark on the heart area on the convict's back and then the executioner shoots him in the back with an automatic rifle. In some cases, the punishment of flogging is also given before the death penalty.
