Yemen murder victim’s brother demands death penalty for nurse

An Indian nurse, sentenced in Yemen for murder, narrowly evaded the gallows on July 16th, but celebrations may be premature as the victim’s family continues to press for her execution.
According to The National on July 29th, the family of Yemeni citizen Talal Mahdi, who was murdered by Nimisha Priya in 2017, has urged the authorities to set a new date for her death sentence.
Priya was granted a postponement for her execution, which was initially scheduled to take place on July 16th, following a petition submitted to authorities by her family. The case has gone viral, drawing international sympathy as Priya was allegedly abused for years by Mahdi, who extorted money from her, forged documents claiming he was her husband, and withheld her travel documents, trapping her in Yemen whilst the civil war unfolded.
Priya’s supporters claim she only intended to sedate him to recover her passport, but Mahdi overdosed and died.
Abdel Fattah Mahdi, Talal’s brother, has also denied widely circulated claims in Indian media that an Indian religious leader, known as the Grand Mufti, won the family’s forgiveness to revoke the death penalty.
The Grand Mufti’s office said that, after “high-level meetings” in Sanaa, Yemen, the death sentence was officially cancelled.
However, Abdel Mahdi denied this claim: “We have not spoken to or negotiated with anyone, near or far, about reconciliation in the case of the Indian murderer. None whatsoever,” he said.
He further stated that, as per Islamic Sharia and the Yemeni constitution, “honouring the victim’s family, recognising their pain, and upholding their right to see God’s law enforced are obligations”.
“The execution has become mandatory by law and binding on all parties without any delay,” said a letter to Yemen’s Public Prosecution, signed by Abdel Mahdi on behalf of his relatives. He demanded her death be expedited.
The “crime committed was beyond all bounds of humanity,” the family said in the petition posted by Mr Mahdi on Facebook. “We urgently request your excellency to set a new date for the execution of the death sentence, which we firmly demand as our legitimate right, especially since we, the victim’s family, have lost our loved one to an atrocious crime.”
So far, Priya’s family, through international donations and sanctions from the Indian government, have offered Mahdi’s family $1 million in diya or “blood money.” This Islamic practice is a form of compensation that the victim’s family can choose to accept in return for a pardon.
However, the situation remains bleak for Priya and her family. Mahdi stated emphatically, “we will not allow anyone to impose any discussion or compromise at the expense of our blood and our indisputable right to have qisas (retribution) implemented.”
The National/ Maghrebi
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