Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, convicted in the 2017 murder of Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi, has been granted temporary relief as her execution was postponed on July 15, just a day before the scheduled date. However, any hope for a lasting resolution appears dim as Mahdi’s family firmly rejected any reconciliation or acceptance of blood money under Yemen’s Sharia law.
The postponement came amid intense backdoor negotiations led by Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar, also known as the Grand Mufti of India. With help from a Sufi scholar in Yemen, Musliyar’s team initiated talks with Mahdi’s family to secure a reprieve by offering Diyaat, a form of financial compensation to the victim’s family.
“In Islam, rather than killing, there is even an act of providing Diya (compensation). I asked them to accept Diyaat as the party is willing here for it,” said the Grand Mufti to ANI. While there’s still no word on the official reasons behind the postponement of the execution, it is felt that these moves, coupled with unofficial moves by the Indian government, brought about a temporary stay.
Victim’s Family Turns Down Mediation Attempts
The optimism did not last for long. A day after the delay, Abdelfattah Mahdi, the brother of the victim, made a strong statement denouncing reconciliation. In an Arabic language Facebook post, subsequently confirmed by Hindustan Times, he reiterated the demand of the family for vengeance.
What is the achievement and listened to today from mediation and peace efforts is nothing new or out of the ordinary. But the pressure did not change anything in us. Our only demand is retribution, nothing more,” Abdelfattah said.
Background of the Case
Nimisha Priya had come to Yemen for work in 2014 and had started a clinic with Mahdi. But their relationship allegedly grew violent. In 2017, to get back her passport from Mahdi and flee Yemen, she had sedated him, killing him in the process as the dose was lethal.
She was sentenced to death in 2020, and Yemen’s top court upheld the ruling in 2023. Although the scheduled execution has now been deferred, her future hangs in uncertainty.
The next steps for Nimisha Priya remain unclear. While the postponement offers her and her family a brief reprieve, her fate depends largely on whether Mahdi’s family changes its stance on Diyaat—something that currently appears unlikely.
