An Indian man, charged with the killing of a disabled Saudi teenager and facing execution, has found salvation in a nearly $4 million global fundraising campaign led by fellow expatriates.
Machilakath Abdul Rahim, a 44-year-old accused of responsibility for the demise of 15-year-old Anas al-Shahri, has spent a significant portion of his life incarcerated in Riyadh since 2006, despite consistently asserting innocence. His appeals for judicial reconsideration, including to Saudi Arabia’s highest court, have all been in vain.
In an impressive feat of human solidarity, members of Rahim’s ancestral state of Kerala, among them a famous jeweler and a software start-up team, rallied to gather the required funds for his release.
The response and subsequent favorable outcome is seen as a victory for the unique and culturally diverse southern Indian state of Kerala, where members of Muslim and Christian religions account for half the populace. Kerala’s vibrant political landscape, shaped by minority parties, Marxist elements, superior education rates, and remittances from expatriates, is often at odds with the right-wing politics dominating North India.
In a profound expression on social media, the state’s Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, stated, “Kerala has created a noble example of love to save a life and wipe the tears of a family.” He further declared, “Kerala is a fortress of brotherhood, which communalism cannot destroy.”
The incident began when Rahim arrived in Riyadh in 2006 to be the driver for the Al-Shahri family, chiefly to tend for Anas al-Shahri who was disabled and required mechanical aids for basic functions. During a shopping excursion, Rahim allegedly touched Anas’ face, disconnecting Anas’s breathing apparatus and causing his life to ebb away unnoticed.
A concocted robbery attack cover story, devised in haste by Rahim and a distant relative, did not hold up under police inspection. Both found themselves behind bars.
Years of legal wrangling followed even after the case gained public attention through media outlets. Rahim received the death verdict in 2011. Upon this grim news, an activist in the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre mobilized other expatriate associations to set up a legal squad to explore diplomatic intervention and mediation avenues.
While their appeals to higher courts continued to be dismissed, the team, ironically, was able to secure parole for Naseer, the relative, in 2016.
In Saudi law, an act of murder devoid of premeditation can be absolved if the aggrieved family pardons the perpetrator, generally against a compensatory settlement. Rahim’s legal advocates sought to negotiate with Anas’s family for pardon, but the talks were halted with the death of Anas’s father.
Eventually, successful mediation was undertaken in October 2022, leading to an agreement for a handover of $4 million. Multiple efforts were initiated to gather the sum, including fundraising from Rahim’s hometown, significant contributions by a prominent jeweler, and the efforts of a software start-up who designed a ‘Save Abdul Rahim’ app to facilitate global donations.
With the target sum achieved on 12 April, Rahim’s fate has potentially reversed. The funds are being transferred to the Indian embassy account in Riyadh, and Rahim is expected to be released within the next couple of months.”It is the end to a years-long battle,” a relieved Venghat conveyed.
