Kuwait’s government commuted the death sentence of a Tamil worker to life imprisonment after his impoverished family raised ₹30 lakh compensation or ‘blood money’ to pay the victim’s family with the help of contributions, including from a young Muslim leader from Kerala’s Panakkad, Sayed Munawwarali Shihab Thangal.
“Alhamdu Lillah [Thank God in Arabic], a human soul could be saved from sure death because of our little effort,” said Mr. Munawwarali on receipt of the news about the commutation of Arjunan Athimuthu’s death sentence to life imprisonment. “It’s a moment to rejoice for humanity.”
P.P. Narayanan, first secretary for community welfare at the Indian Embassy in Kuwait, had on Tuesday e-mailed Mr. Munawwarali lauding his efforts to save Athimuthu.
Athimuthu, who hails from Athivetti village in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, was sentenced to death by a Kuwait court, which found him guilty of killing a Keralite, Abdul Wajid, in September 2013 in Kuwait.
The victim’s family, from Vattaloor in Malappuram district, had demanded ₹30 lakh as ‘blood money’ for pardoning Athimuthu.
Some Gulf nations, including Kuwait, offer a reprieve for the convict if the victim’s family pardons them. The amount given to the victim’s family as compensation for pardon from death is called ‘blood money’.
Mr. Munawwarali, with the help of his friends, helped raise the required amount within a couple of hours after Athimuthu’s wife Malathi approached him as a last resort.
“We have saved two families in fact. The victim’s family too is poor. From their perspective, their demand for blood money has been just,” said Mr. Munawwarali.
