'Nothing less than...': How Yemen family reacted to deferment of Nimisha Priya's execution

Nimisha Priya, who hails from Kollengode in Kerala's Palakkad district, was sentenced to death in 2020 for the murder of Talal Abdo Mahdi in 2017.

Amid the deferment of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya's execution brought about by successful backchannel talks, the family of Yemini resident Talal Abdo Mahdi, for whose murder Priya has been sentenced to death, have said that they would settle for nothing less than her being put to death.

Additionally, the family of Talal Abdo Mahdi also rejected  any offers of blood money, which complicates the situation.

Nimisha Priya, who hails from Kollengode in Kerala's Palakkad district, was sentenced to death in 2020 for the murder of Talal Abdo Mahdi in 2017.

The Yemeni administration issued an order dated July 14 in Arabic and said that Priya’s execution was deferred until a new date is announced. The Grand Mufti of India, Kerala Sunni cleric Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musaliyar, confirmed the order and said he spoke to prominent Yemeni scholars on behalf of the family.

The Yemeni family insists that Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya's actions—particularly the murder of Talal followed by dismembering and hiding the body—are inexcusable, regardless of any dispute.

Abdel Fateh called for the enforcement of Qisas, an Islamic law principle of retaliation in kind, which in this case means the execution of Nimisha Priya. He explicitly rejected appeals for blood money (Diyah), which under Yemeni Sharia law could allow the victim’s family to accept financial compensation in exchange for pardoning the convict.

Under Yemen’s Islamic legal framework, Qisas permits a murder victim’s family to demand punishment equal to the crime — in capital cases, this usually means the death penalty. However, Sharia law in Yemen also allows families to forgive the accused in exchange for diyah, or blood money, which is a negotiated settlement aimed at reconciliation. Acceptance of Diyah can lead to a pardon and commute the sentence.

Religious leaders from Kerala have played a pivotal role in mediation, with prayers and dialogues contributing to the postponement. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have urged Yemen to impose a moratorium on executions and consider commutation of death sentences.