Kerala mother awaits release of son from Saudi prison after 18 years

Kozhikode, July 12 (IANS) It’s an unprecedented state of excitement at the house of elderly Fatima in Kerala's Kozhikode, whose son, Abdul Rahim, a death row convict in Saudi Arabia, is set to return home after securing a pardon.

It's been an 18-year wait for the mother, whose prayers have been finally answered.

The return was made possible through a massive fund collection drive for Rs 34 crore which was given as blood money on the orders of a Saudi Arabian court. The court had ruled that in case the money was not given Rahim would be executed.

The money was handed over in April. The court yielded after the Saudi family accepted the money which enabled the legal proceedings for his release.

Rahim’s mother cannot hide her excitement, and on Friday she said she wants to see her son as soon as possible.

“Even though he calls me, that’s not enough, I just cannot wait any longer to see my son and wish he come at the earliest,” said Fatima.

Rahim’s nephew is also excited and said that the Saudi Arabian court has asked Rahim’s lawyer to be present on Sunday.

“The lawyer has told us, that on Sunday we will know when Rahim will be finally released. And once released, he will be put on a flight back home, for which the entire village is waiting,” said the nephew.

“After the orders of his release came, every minute now seems like hours,” added the nephew.

An auto driver here, Rahim was drawn to the Gulf to make more money. He reached Saudi Arabia in 2006 and got a job as a personal driver-cum-caretaker of a 15-year-old physically challenged boy, who also had a medical ailment where he breathed through an external device connected to his body.

The boy, according to Rahim, misbehaved with him one day while he was driving. As he was trying to quieten him, his hand accidentally touched the external medical device which got disconnected and the boy died.

A court in Saudi Arabia sentenced him for murder and the appeal court upheld this verdict in 2022. The decision was later confirmed by the country’s Supreme Court.

Then following numerous discussions with the Saudi family, they settled for blood money and the doors for Rahim’s freedom were finally opened.