The relatives of Yemeni patient Talal Abdo Mahdi, who was killed by Malayali nurse Nimisha Priya, have made it categorically clear that they would accept nothing short of her execution, even though a reprieve was offered by Yemeni authorities. In a Facebook entry after the execution was put off, the victim's brother Abdelfattah Mahdi stated that there were no attempts at reconciliation, including diyat (blood money), which the family refused.
What is going on and all this talk of mediation and attempts at reconciliation, is not new, and it is not surprising. Over the years of our case, there have been behind-the-scenes efforts and genuine attempts at mediation — and that is natural and expected. But pressures to which we have been subjected have not changed us. Our requirement is obvious: Qisas (retribution), and nothing else, no matter. The implementation has now been postponed — we did not expect this to happen, especially with the fact that those who shut it down are eminently aware of our complete rejection of any method or means of reconciliation. In any event, once the schedule is finalised for an execution, it is harder than leading up to it. We will see the execution through to completion.
Also read: Execution of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya in Yemen postponed
"No delay will stop us. No pressure will scare us. Blood cannot be bought. Justice cannot be forgotten. Qisas will come, no matter how long the wait — it's only a matter of time. With God's guidance," the post declared. In an interview, the same stance was adopted by the victim's brother. For him, the family had not just survived the "brutal crime" but also the exhaustingly long legal process in what he called a "horrible and heinous but clear case". We regret to see the attempts at distorting facts, especially from the Indian media attempting to present the convicts as victims to make the crime respectable. And we say so categorically that they are attempting to influence public opinion. Any squabble, however, much its cause and whatever the magnitude, can never make a murder legitimate— much less hacking up, dismembering and disposing of the body.
What has transpired so far?
Yemeni authorities planned the execution for July 16, but gave a temporary reprieve after India made urgent diplomatic efforts. Nimisha Priya, 38, a nurse from Kollengode in Kerala's Palakkad district, was found guilty of killing her previous employer in July 2017. A Yemeni court sentenced her to death in 2020, and the Supreme Judicial Council rejected her appeal in November 2023.
India, which does not have a diplomatic mission in Yemen because of the civil war, has been pursuing the case in its Saudi Arabian embassy. Officials explained they have been regularly in touch with Sana'a jail authorities, who are controlled by the Houthi, and the local prosecutor's office.
Priya's mother Premakumari had visited Yemen a year ago to appeal for the life of her daughter. Indian attempts also examined the use of diyat as a method of reconciliation, but the adamant attitude of the Mahdi family has barred any headway. On Monday, the Indian government informed the Supreme Court that it had acted as much as it could.
There is a limit till which the Government of India can go, and we have come to that limit," Attorney General R Venkataramani told a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta.
The court was considering a petition requesting directions to the Centre to step in diplomatically and secure the release of Priya. In spite of the initial temporary adjournment, the situation is still bleak. With the victim's family not accepting any option other than execution, the fate of Priya still hangs in the balance.
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