Saudi court revokes Kozhikode native Abdul Rahim’s death penalty

KOZHIKODE: In a remarkable turn of events, Kozhikode native Abdul Rahim, who has been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for the past 18 years, is set to be released soon. The Riyadh Criminal Court on Tuesday revoked the 44-year-old’s death penalty in a case relating to the accidental death of his sponsor’s paralysed son in 2006.

At Tuesday’s hearing, the victim’s family accepted Rahim’s apology and informed the court of their decision to grant him amnesty.

Earlier, a ‘Blood Money’ of Rs 34 crore — raised through crowdfunding — was handed over to the victim’s family. The court is expected to issue the release order soon.

The news has brought relief to the lakhs of Malayalees who were anxiously awaiting the outcome of the case.

Their efforts culminated in a successful crowdfunding initiative that played a crucial role in securing Rahim’s amnesty. The initiative raised a whopping 15 million Saudi Riyals (around Rs 34 crore), which was handed over to the Riyadh governorate via the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia for transfer to the royal court.

“Once the court issues the order, the Riyadh governorate has to issue an order confirming Rahim’s release,” said Naseeb C P, a representative of the Abdul Rahim Legal Assistance Committee. “Once this is completed, Rahim will finally be able to return to his hometown Feroke and reunite with his grieving mother,” he said.

Rahim appeared in court online on Tuesday. Attorney Siddique Tuvvoor and embassy official Yusuf Kakancheri were present during the proceedings. Rahim was sentenced to death in 2018 after the family of the boy refused to grant amnesty. As per the action committee, over 75 organisations in the Gulf region, along with businessman Bobby Chemmannur, and political organisations in the state, worked tirelessly to meet the deadline of the amount required to be transferred to the Saudi family.