Watch: What is blood money and why Nimisha Priya's life depends on It
What is blood money? How can paying money possibly stop an execution?
In this video, we explain the concept of blood money in Sharia law. It allows the victim's family to pardon the killer in exchange for compensation. While typically used for unintentional killings, it can also apply to murder if the family chooses forgiveness.
We examine how Yemen's legal system addresses diya. These negotiations have kept Nimisha's supporters campaigning for years, and why India has no equivalent provision for serious crimes like murder.
Presentation: Sharmada Venkatasubramanian
Video: Thamodharan BJ
Script and Poduction: Shikha Kumari A
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New Indian Express
4 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Nimisha Priya case: Blood money and the cost of forgiveness
KOCHI: On July 14, the Centre told the Supreme Court that reaching a blood money settlement is the only option left for saving Nimisha Priya, an Indian citizen on death row in. The woman, a trained nurse from Kerala who opened her own clinic in Sanaa in partnership with a Yemeni citizen, Talal Abdo Mahdi, was convicted of murdering her business partner in 2017. She was sentenced to death after an allegedly shoddy trial conducted in Arabic, without being provided an interpreter or proper legal counsel. Since then, the 38-year-old woman has been languishing in a jail in the Yemeni capital city, which is under the control of the Houthi rebels. She was due to be executed on July 16, but it was postponed amid intense backchannel negotiations to save her from the jaws of death. The pause in the execution, though a temporary relief, has opened a new window of hope to try and secure pardon from the victim's family, which will pave the way for her release from prison. However, at least one member of Mahdi's family has so far refused to do so. Efforts are on to convince them to accept blood money and pardon Priya. A lifeline Under Islamic law, victims of crimes, or their families, can have a say in the punishment of the offender. In case of a murder, the victim's kin can 'forgive' the accused in exchange for monetary compensation, known as diyah or blood money. While grieving families are prone to seek vengeance, accepting blood money is encouraged to bring an amicable closure to the case. The concept is rooted in the idea that it can end the cycle of violence by promoting reconciliation, justice, and mercy. The aim is to provide financial support to the affected family while encouraging forgiveness and maintaining social peace. It is not about punishment but balancing justice with compassion, emphasising the value of mercy alongside accountability. While there is no concept of blood money under Indian laws, it is an accepted legal practice in several Islamic countries including Yemen. These countries give an opportunity to the victim's family to pardon the offender in exchange for monetary compensation. If diyah is accepted, then the death sentence will be lifted, though the accused may have to spend time in jail if the government decides to go ahead with other forms of punishment. The process varies from country to country and can be complicated if the case involves foreigners. Usually, the victim's immediate family members are approached, through mediators — clerics, NGOs, or government departments— to persuade them to issue pardon. It often takes multiple rounds of meetings mediated by multiple stakeholders to secure pardon and arrive at the amount of blood money.
New Indian Express
6 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Blood money: Forgiveness for a price
KOCHI: On July 14, the Centre told the Supreme Court that reaching a blood money settlement is the only option left for saving Nimisha Priya, an Indian citizen on death row in. The woman, a trained nurse from Kerala who opened her own clinic in Sanaa in partnership with a Yemeni citizen, Talal Abdo Mahdi, was convicted of murdering her business partner in 2017. She was sentenced to death after an allegedly shoddy trial conducted in Arabic, without being provided an interpreter or proper legal counsel. Since then, the 38-year-old woman has been languishing in a jail in the Yemeni capital city, which is under the control of the Houthi rebels. She was due to be executed on July 16, but it was postponed amid intense backchannel negotiations to save her from the jaws of death. The pause in the execution, though a temporary relief, has opened a new window of hope to try and secure pardon from the victim's family, which will pave the way for her release from prison. However, at least one member of Mahdi's family has so far refused to do so. Efforts are on to convince them to accept blood money and pardon Priya. A lifeline Under Islamic law, victims of crimes, or their families, can have a say in the punishment of the offender. In case of a murder, the victim's kin can 'forgive' the accused in exchange for monetary compensation, known as diyah or blood money. While grieving families are prone to seek vengeance, accepting blood money is encouraged to bring an amicable closure to the case. The concept is rooted in the idea that it can end the cycle of violence by promoting reconciliation, justice, and mercy. The aim is to provide financial support to the affected family while encouraging forgiveness and maintaining social peace. It is not about punishment but balancing justice with compassion, emphasising the value of mercy alongside accountability. While there is no concept of blood money under Indian laws, it is an accepted legal practice in several Islamic countries including Yemen. These countries give an opportunity to the victim's family to pardon the offender in exchange for monetary compensation. If diyah is accepted, then the death sentence will be lifted, though the accused may have to spend time in jail if the government decides to go ahead with other forms of punishment. The process varies from country to country and can be complicated if the case involves foreigners. Usually, the victim's immediate family members are approached, through mediators — clerics, NGOs, or government departments— to persuade them to issue pardon. It often takes multiple rounds of meetings mediated by multiple stakeholders to secure pardon and arrive at the amount of blood money.
The Hindu
9 hours ago
- The Hindu
Nimisha Priya
The clock seems ticking for 37-year-old Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, who is on death row at the Central prison in Yemen's capital Sanaa for the alleged murder of Talal Abdo Mahdi, a Yemeni national. Media reports that emerged two weeks ago had stated that her execution was scheduled on July 16. Her family members and well-wishers felt a glimmer of hope after last-minute diplomatic and other interventions resulted in the postponement of her sentence. However, it remained short-lived as a social media post by the victim's brother Abdul Fatah Mahdi said 'justice would prevail', and affirmed that 'retribution would come regardless of any delays in the execution'. A nurse from Kerala, Nimisha has been imprisoned in Sanaa's central jail since 2017, convicted of murdering Mahdi, her business partner. A native of Kollengode in Palakkad district, she left for Yemen in 2008 with dreams of securing a better future for her parents, who worked as domestic helps. She landed a job at a government-run hospital in Sanaa. She worked there until 2011, before returning to Kerala to marry Tomy Thomas, a daily-wage labourer and native of Thodupuzha in Idukki district. The civil war in Yemen that resulted in the Houthi rebels gaining control over Sanaa in 2014 shattered Nimisha's dreams. The Government of India issued an advisory in April 2015 asking Indian nationals not to travel to Yemen owing to the adverse political and security situation. In 2015, Nimisha quit her low-paying hospital job to start her own clinic. However, Yemeni law required nationals to own and operate businesses, forcing her to partner with Mahdi to set up the venture. The same year, Mahdi accompanied her to Kerala when she came home for a month-long holiday. A petition filed by Nimisha's 58-year-old mother, Premakumari, in December 2023 before the Delhi High Court, seeking the Centre's permission to visit her daughter, stated that her relationship with Mahdi deteriorated over time after he allegedly began torturing her and siphoned off all the clinic's revenue. In July 2017, desperate for a way-out, Nimisha sought advice from a jail warden near her clinic where Mahdi had previously been allegedly imprisoned for various offences. The warden allegedly suggested sedating Mahdi to recover her passport. However, an apparent overdose resulted in his death, says the petition. Nearly a month later, Nimisha was arrested near Yemen's border with Saudi Arabia after Mahdi's dismembered body was discovered in a water tank. Death penalty She was sentenced to death by a trial court in Sanaa in 2020 and the Houthi Supreme Political Council dismissed her appeal in November 2023. The appeal court kept open the option of paying blood money (diyah) — in accordance with Shariah law — to the murdered man's family and be pardoned for the crime. The efforts to release her from prison gained momentum after the formation of Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, a collective comprising elected representatives, lawyers and human rights activists. But the case had posed significant challenges in view of India's lack of official ties with the Houthis. Ms. Premakumari met her daughter after a long gap at the prison in Sanaa on April 24, 2024 following the Delhi High Court's directive in December 2023 asking the Centre to relax its 2017 notification that barred Indian passport holders from travelling to Yemen. She has been staying in Sanaa since then amid hopes of securing the release of her daughter. As the deadlock continues, the Indian government says it is in contact with 'local authorities' in Sanaa, as well with some 'friendly governments' in the region to push for her release. Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar, a religious leader from Kerala, who had reportedly intervened through his friend and Yemeni Sufi scholar Sheikh Habib Umar bin Hafiz to convince the victim's family to pardon Nimisha, says 'talks had been under way with Talal's family despite their strong desire for retribution'.
