Nimisha Priya Death Sentence: Nimisha Priya is a nurse from Kerala who is now on a death sentence in Yemen. She was convicted of murdering a Yemeni national. Following this case, her supporters are fighting to save her life. Here, the most raised question is the blood money. What is blood money? How is it possible to stop an execution by paying money? Let’s now understand this theory of money and the death sentence in Yemen.

What is Blood Money?

Blood money is a term used often in Islamic Sharia law. This mainly allows the victim’s family to exchange money as compensation from the accused. It’s not meant to put a price on human life, but to ease the family’s loss and end cycles of revenge. Typically, diyya is used for unintentional killing or culpable homicide, but in some cases of murder, if the family chooses forgiveness over retribution, they can accept blood money.

Many Islamic countries have formal legal systems for this. Even if the family accepts it, the state can still impose other punishments. Yemen, where Nimisha is jailed, follows Shia principles. The victim’s family and the convicted person can negotiate the amount directly, often with courts overseeing the deal to ensure fairness. That’s why Nimisha’s supporters have spent years raising funds, hoping the victim’s family will accept the payment and grant her a pardon.

But negotiations have faced repeated delays even after paying her lawyer in full to continue talks. There’s no confirmation yet of a deal. So how about India? Do we have a provision like blood money? The answer is no. You can’t pay the victim’s family to avoid a death sentence. For murder, the closest equivalent is plea bargaining, but only for crimes with sentences under seven years. Murder, rape, or crimes against women and children are excluded.

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However, the idea of paying compensation to end blood feuds is ancient and not unique to Islamic law. Early medieval Germany had wergild, and Wales had galanas, while ancient Ireland set a price based on the crime’s severity. These systems aimed to deliver justice without endless revenge.

Nimisha Priya’s supporters are not the first to try this. In 2019, Aju and Aimuthu from Tamil Nadu avoided execution in Kuwait after paying 30 lakh rupees in blood money. Abdul Rahim was pardoned in Saudi Arabia after paying around 34 crore rupees, though he remained imprisoned. In 2017, ten Indians on death row in the UAE were spared after paying 200,000 dirhams, and another 17 Indians were pardoned after paying nearly four crore rupees. But for Nimisha, time is running out. With India lacking formal diplomatic ties with the Houthis controlling Yemen’s capital, the government’s options are limited. Her story shines a harsh light on the risks faced by migrant workers and the complex moral questions around blood money. So what do you think about this system? Should paying blood money be allowed in murder cases?

Also Read: You Should’ve Been Murdered’: Ramya Reveals Chilling Messages from Darshan’s Supporters

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