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Nimisha Priya case: Victim's family in Yemen demands ‘God's Law in Qisas’. What does it mean?
In Nimisha Priya’s case, the victim’s family in Yemen has refused to accept diyah offered by her family, leaving her fate mostly relying on the Qisas law.
What looked like a relief for Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, whose execution in Yemen scheduled to take place on July 16 has been postponed, might turn out to be brief as the victim’s family has put forth the demand of the ‘God's Law in Qisas’.
Nimisha Priya was sentenced to death in 2020 for killing Talal Abdo Mahdi, her business partner in Yemen, in 2017. She was supposed to be executed on Wednesday; however, a respite came in the form of a postponement just a day ahead on July 15.
India’s Grand Mufti Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musaliyar also confirmed the postponement on Tuesday, adding that he contacted Yemeni clerics who were engaged in talks with Mahdi’s family, providing a little hope that Priya could be pardoned. However, the new demand by Mahdi’s family has cast a cloud over that hope.
Also read: What Yemen family said about Indian nurse Nimisha Priya's execution: ‘…nothing else’
What Mahdi’s family said
Mahdi’s family has said they will not accept anything but Nimisha Priya’s death as her punishment. While speaking with BBC Arabic on Monday, the victim’s brother Abdelfattah Mahdi said, “Our stance on the attempts at reconciliation is clear; we insist on implementing God's Law in Qisas [retaliation in kind], nothing else."
He added that their family has suffered "not only from the brutal crime but also the long, exhausting litigation process in a horrible and heinous but obvious crime case".
Also read: Why ‘Grand Mufti of India’ stepped in to halt Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya's execution in Yemen
What is 'God's Law in Qisas'?
Under Sharia law, Qisas is a concept which allows for equitable retaliation in cases of crimes such as murder, meaning a punishment equal to the crime.
The Quran describes the concept as, “O you who believe, equivalence is the law decreed for you when dealing with murder - the free for the free, the slave for the slave, the female for the female. If one is pardoned by the victim's kin, an appreciative response is in order, and an equitable compensation shall be paid. This is an alleviation from your Lord and mercy. Anyone who transgresses beyond this incurs a painful retribution”.
Also read: Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya's execution halted: What's the crime she was convicted for?
What does this mean for Nimisha Priya?
The abovementioned Quranic verse also talks about the concept of Diyah (blood money), which means that the victim’s family can choose to pardon the perpetrator in exchange for a suitable compensation, which can be negotiated.
Unfortunately, in Priya’s case, the victim’s family has refused to accept diyah offered by her family, leaving her fate mostly relying on the Qisas law.
Priya’s execution has been postponed indefinitely, which may give some time to persuade Mahdi’s family to consider otherwise; however, no indication has been given so far.
