Nimisha Priya case: Yemeni family vows no mercy for Kerala nurse, ‘Blood can’t be bought… truth is not forgotten’

As Nimisha Priya’s execution has been deferred, the brother of the victim said that his family does not wish anything less than the execution of the convict

The execution, originally scheduled for July 16, has been postponed, sources in New Delhi said on Tuesday. Priya, who hails from Kollengode in Kerala’s Palakkad district, was found guilty of murdering a Yemeni citizen – Talal Abdo Mahdi – in July 2017.

The sources added that the government of India has made concerted efforts in recent days to seek more time for Priya’s family to reach a “mutually agreeable” solution with the other party.

What the Mahdi family said?

In the Facebook post, written in Arabic, Abdelfattah Mahdi, brother Talal Abdo Mahdi, said that despite the pressures being imposed on the family to reconcile from all quarters, their demand remains the same — retribution, or execution of Priya.

“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, as verified by HT Media.

He stated that although the execution’s postponement was “unexpected,” it is important for those who tried to intervene to understand that Mahdi’s family remains firmly opposed to any attempts at reconciliation.

“Delay won’t flex, pressure won’t move us and blood cannot be bought. And the truth is not forgotten. Retribution will come no matter how long the road takes. It is just a matter of time and with God’s help (it will happen),” he added.

In 2020, a Yemeni court handed Priya the death sentence and the country’s Supreme Judicial Council dismissed her appeal in November 2023. The 38-year-old nurse is presently lodged in a jail in Sana’a, the Yemeni capital city that is under the control of Iran-backed Houthis.

In Delhi, sources said the government of India has been rendering all possible assistance in the case since beginning. Priya’s mother Premakumari travelled to Yemen last year as part of efforts to secure her release. The Indian side had even explored the option of securing Priya’s release through “diyat” or paying “blood money”. But that also ran into some problems, it is learnt.