Yemen family breaks silence as Nimisha Priya's execution postponed after intervention by ‘Grand Mufti'
The Yemeni national's brother Abdelfattah Mahdi has opposed to any reconciliation, or pardon to the Kerala nurse in the case.
This has yet again cast doubts on how the case would proceed further, as the best bet to save Nimisha Priya would have been a pardon from Mahdi's family under the 'blood money' provision of Yemen's Sharia law.
Here are key developments in Nimisha Priya's case:
Temporary relief to Nimisha Priya
Just as Nimisha Priya and her family were beginning to lose hope, her execution was postponed on July 15, one day before it was scheduled.
While there is no official confirmation on what led to the move, a Muslim scholar, also known as the 'Grand Mufti of India', is being credited for leading negotiations that brought some relief for Nimisha and her family.
Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar, a Sunni leader from India, reportedly facilitated negotiations in Yemen with help from a Sufi scholar there. The scholar's representatives reportedly met those representing Mahdi's family for discussions on stopping Nimisha's execution.
The Grand Mufti said that a request was made to accept 'Diyaat', a compensation to the victim's family by Nimisha's. "In Islam, instead of killing, there is also a practice of giving Diya (compensation). I requested them to accept Diyaat as the party is ready here for it. There are talks going on about whether my request has to be accepted," the Grand Mufti was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Besides, the Indian government was also reportedly in touch with people in Yemen on a private level to secure additional time for Priya's family to reach a "mutually agreeable" resolution with the other party.
What did Yemen victim's family say?
A day after Nimisha's execution was postponed, Talal Abdo Mahdi's brother Abdelfattah made a post on Facebook, reiterating a demand for her execution.
In the Facebook post, originally written in Arabic, Abdelfattah Mahdi asserted that the family would not give in to any pressures to reconcile and stands firm on the demand for retribution.
'What is achieved and heard today from mediation and attempts for peace is nothing new or surprising. Throughout our years, there have been hidden pursuits and 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 in the post, verified by Hindustan Times.
Nimisha Priya, who moved to Yemen for her professional endeveaours, partnered with Talal Abdo Mahdi in 2014 for opening a clinic. However, she was allegedly physically abused and threatened by him. In 2017, attempting to get her passport back from him so she could flee Yemen, Nimisha sedated Mahdi, but the dose proved fatal and he died.
Three years later, Nimisha was sentenced to death, and in 2023, the order was upheld. July 16 was fixed as the date she would be executed, but the Kerala nurse has temporarily been saved.
What next for Nimisha Priya?
While the execution being deferred came as a big win for Nimisha, her family and the negotiators involved, the end goal to permanently save her and bring her back to India still remains.
With Talal Abdo Mahdi's family standing firm on their demand for her execution, doubts have yet again emerged on whether Nimisha would be pardoned.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
26 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Pakistan seeks to expand high-tech ties with China in space, nuclear fields
Pakistan wants to deepen technological cooperation with China in the fields of space exploration and nuclear technology, a senior Pakistani minister has said. Minister Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan plans satellite launches and aims to send astronauts to China's space station next year.(Ahsan Iqbal/ LinkedIn ) Pakistan is keen to strengthen scientific partnerships with China, including in artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing, Pakistan's Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal, who was on a visit to China, told the media. "I had an opportunity to meet with the new chairman of China's nuclear authority and the space agency,' Iqbal said in a media briefing early this week, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Thursday. 'We also discussed how we can further strengthen our cooperation in peaceful nuclear use of technology by extending nuclear power into agriculture,' he said. Also Read: China backs Pakistan's counter terrorism efforts, says foreign minister Wang Yi Pakistan's Karachi Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3, which uses the Chinese-made Hualong One reactor, completed its final tests before going into operation, according to the report. Iqbal said China-Pakistan space cooperation included satellite launches and plans to send Pakistan's astronauts to China's space station next year. 'Later with Chinese help, we will send and land a rover on the moon that will be yet another milestone,' he said. 'Pakistan also aims to have its lunar landing or landing on the moon by 2035, and we have also sought cooperation in this field,' he said. During his visit to China, Iqbal said he had witnessed the July 31 launch of the Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite-1 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the southwestern province of Sichuan.
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
Beijing's growing influence, suppression of academic freedom in UK Universities: Report
Advt Advt A recent report published by UK-China Transparency (UKCT), which investigates transparency matters between the UK and China, has revealed systematic efforts by Beijing to inhibit academic freedom and influence the narrative concerning China within British universities, according to a report from publication, titled "Cold Crises: Academic Freedom and Interference in China Studies in the UK", claims that the Chinese government is employing students, scholars, and financial leverage to intimidate academics and limit discussions on sensitive subjects, thereby creating a culture of fear across UK on feedback from 50 scholars specialising in China studies throughout UK institutions, the findings depict a troubling scenario of surveillance, harassment, and self-censorship in academia. UKCT reports that Chinese students and academics are sometimes pressured through threats against family members back home to monitor their peers and report on politically sensitive conversations to Chinese authorities."We're observing you," one academic recounted being told by a visiting scholar from China, while others shared experiences of online harassment and intimidation, including notifications from Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials, as mentioned in the Phayul report suggests that Chinese Students and Scholars Associations (CSSAs), present in most UK universities and connected to the CCP, act as "vectors for surveillance and repression", fostering a climate of fear, especially for students of Chinese direct intimidation, the CCP is alleged to exploit financial dependencies to apply pressure on university administrations. Two-thirds of respondents indicated that the reliance on tuition from Chinese students affected how university leadership managed relations with Beijing. Certain institutions faced accusations of withholding funding for research considered politically sensitive, while others reportedly stifled critical scholarship to maintain financial connections or placate Chinese Gregory Lee, professor emeritus at the University of St Andrews, described the report as "the most significant" ever released on censorship and coercion in UK-based China studies. "By failing to act on these matters, we in the UK are complicit in the Chinese authorities' attempts to impose their idyllic depiction of China on the minds of students and non-students alike," Lee stated, as reported by publication of this report follows closely behind the introduction of new UK legislation that mandates universities to actively protect academic freedom and freedom of speech. This law also addresses foreign partnerships, such as those with Confucius Institutes, which may jeopardise ideological neutrality or impose constraints on teaching and findings in the UKCT report resonate with broader apprehensions reflected in other nations, including Australia, Canada, Germany, and the United States, where previous documentation has indicated Chinese influence within academic institutions using similar tactics involving surveillance, visa control, and pressure on diaspora communities, as noted by Phayul.
Deccan Herald
26 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
Rahul has insulted thousands of Hindus, alleges PC Mohan
Mansoor Ali Khan, who lost to Mohan from Bangalore Central slammed the latter for making it a Hindu-Muslim issue.
