Nimisha Priya row: Mahdi family presses for execution, rejects 'settlement'

The execution of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya was delayed after intervention from an Indian Muslim leader, but the Mahdi family continues to demand death penalty

Following the deferment of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya’s execution in Yemen, the brother of the deceased has stated that the family will accept nothing less than the execution of the convict.

 

The execution, which was originally scheduled for July 16, was postponed by local authorities in Yemen, according to sources.

 

Nimisha Priya, who is a native of Kollengode in Kerala’s Palakkad district, was convicted of murdering her business partner and Yemeni citizen, Talal Abdo Mahdi, in July 2017.

Mahdi family demands death penalty

In a Facebook post, Abdelfattah Mahdi, the brother of Talal Abdo Mahdi, wrote in Arabic that despite mounting pressure on the family to accept reconciliation, their demand remains unchanged: retribution, meaning the execution of Priya.

 

“What is achieved and heard today from mediation and attempts for peace is nothing new or surprising. There have always been efforts to mediate. This is normal and expected... But the pressure has not changed anything in us. Our demand is retribution, nothing else,” Mahdi said, according to a report by HT Media.

 

He said, while the postponement of the execution was “unexpected”, those attempting to intervene must understand that the Mahdi family remains firmly against any reconciliation efforts. 

 

“Delay won’t flex, pressure won’t move us, and blood cannot be bought. The truth is not forgotten. Retribution will come, no matter how long the road takes. It is just a matter of time and with God’s help (it will happen),”  Abdelfattah Mahdi said.

Intervention of Indian Muslim leader

Nimisha Priya’s execution was deferred following the intervention of Sunni Muslim leader Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar — also known as Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad — in Yemen. The government of Indian had made last-minute efforts to delay the execution.

 

According to a report by news agency PTI, Sheikh Abubakr could secure a postponement of the execution with the help of his Yemeni Sufi scholar associate, Habib Umar bin Hafiz, who was likely to visit the Mahdi family in Dhamar on Tuesday to discuss the case.

Indian government’s efforts in the case

The Indian government earlier informed the Supreme Court that it had made serious efforts in recent days to gain more time for Priya’s family to reach a “mutually agreeable” resolution with the Mahdi family. “There is nothing more that can be done,” Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, told the court. “There’s a point till which the government of India can go. We have reached that.” 

 

The Indian side had also explored the possibility of securing Priya’s release through “diyat” — or the payment of ‘blood money’ — but those negotiations faced obstacles.

 

In 2020, Priya was sentenced to death by a Yemeni court, and in November 2023, the country’s Supreme Judicial Council rejected her appeal. The 38-year-old nurse is currently imprisoned in Sana’a, the Yemeni capital, which remains under the control of the Iran-backed Houthi group.