Abdul Fattah Mahdi, the brother of the murdered Yemeni businessman Talal Abdo Mahdi, has reaffirmed his call for Indian nurse Nimisha Priya to be executed after being found guilty of killing Talal in 2017.
In an official letter to Yemen's Attorney General Judge Abdul Salam Al-Houthi, Abdul Fattah called for the execution of the death penalty to be carried out immediately, which was initially slated for July 16 but was delayed.
The family's unequivocal rejection of any reconciliation or pardon was stated in the letter, where it said, "We categorically reject all attempts at reconciliation." More than half a month has elapsed since the postponement, but no new date has been issued, he said. "We affirm our full adherence to our legitimate right to implement the retaliation sentence," the letter continues.
Also read: Confusion prevails over cancellation of Nimisha Priya’s execution
Abdul Fattah had earlier written the same letter on July 25 asking for a fresh date of execution. He had criticised Indian media for making reports of a potential pardon offer, calling them misleading. "Talal's blood will not be a commodity in the negotiation bazaar," he wrote. He had also disputed Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar's claim of potential development through mediation, denying any family consensus.
Nimisha Priya, a Kerala native from Palakkad, was given the death sentence by a Yemeni court in 2020 for murdering her business partner, Talal and storing his body in a water tank. Her execution was stayed after mediation intervention by Indian religious leaders and Yemeni scholars. Priya is still behind bars in Houthi-held northern Yemen. Her supporters back home in India meanwhile persist in their efforts to raise diya (blood money) to appeal for clemency through legal avenues.
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