Kerala driver freed after 20 years on Saudi death row

A Kerala man has returned home after nearly two decades on death row in Saudi Arabia, his release secured by a historic crowdfunding effort. Abdul Rahim arrived at Kozhikode’s Karipur International Airport early Thursday morning, reuniting with his family on the day of Eid al-Adha.

Rahim, a driver from Feroke near Kozhikode, had traveled to Riyadh for work in November 2006. Shortly after his arrival, he was assigned to assist his employer’s teenage son, who was paralyzed and dependent on a breathing apparatus. On December 24, 2006, while Rahim was driving, the medical support device became detached, leading to the boy’s death. Rahim was arrested 28 days after arriving in the country.

A Saudi court sentenced him to death in a ruling later upheld by higher courts. After years of legal proceedings, the victim’s family in 2024 agreed to pardon Rahim in exchange for diyah, or blood money, of 15 million Saudi riyals, approximately 34 crore Indian rupees.

The sum was far beyond his family’s means, prompting a massive global fundraising campaign led by the Malayali community. Contributions from ordinary workers, expatriates, and organizations poured in through a dedicated mobile...