After a four-hour flight from Dubai, Bhuwan Shrestha landed at Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal. He got emotional as he returned to his homeland after seven years, crying for a long time.
“I thought I would never be back home. But today I am in my country with a new life,” says Shrestha.
In 2017, Shrestha, 29, from Okhaldhunga, went to the UAE in search of employment. Recalling his experiences there, he feels he has been given a new life.
He was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for the murder of his Nepali colleague. After paying 50 lakh rupees as blood money, he was released from prison. Along with Shrestha, Pahalman Thapa from Dhading was also sentenced to death in the same prosecution. Thapa, who was acquitted, is preparing to return home after a few days.
Unjust sentencing and a painful journey
Shrestha, Thapa, and Baburam Ale from Nawalparasi worked as scaffolders in a construction company. They stayed together in the company’s camp. Shrestha and Thapa were roommates, while Ale lived separately.
“As Ale was a couple of years older than us, we used to call him dai (big brother). We were close and always had a good relationship,” recalls Shrestha.
On June 3, as usual, Shrestha and Thapa returned to the camp from work. That day, Ale did not go to work. They only met Ale after returning to the camp, where they shared the same kitchen.
After cooking dinner, around eight to ten people, including Baburam Dai, went outside to get some fresh air. After a while, they went back to their room.
According to Shrestha, everything was fine until they returned to their room. Around 10 pm, after having dinner, everyone went to their respective rooms. Ale, along with an Indian and another Nepali, went to another room.
Two hours later, at midnight, they woke up to noise outside.
“Everyone was shouting, saying that Baburam dai got sick,” Shrestha says. “When we went outside, the police and ambulance were already there. We did not know what had happened.”
After the incident, the police arrested 10-15 people living in the camp. They released the others within a few days, but not Shrestha and Thapa.
“Most of the time, Baburam Dai used to be with us, and the camp in charge asked the police to investigate us. But until then, we did not know about the death of Baburam dai.”
It was only 26 days after the incident that they learned about Ale’s death.
They spent 17 months in prison, always maintaining their innocence. Shrestha says the police did not listen to them.
“Due to the language barrier, we could not explain things clearly. The police tortured us and forced us to sign papers we did not understand,” he says.
After 17 months, they were taken to court. The judge asked them simple Yes or No questions. They wanted to assert their innocence, but according to Shrestha, the judge did not give them a chance.
“We did not know whether it was a murder. We even asked for an autopsy report, but they ignored us. We were helpless,” he says.
In August 2021, the UAE court sentenced both Shrestha and Thapa to death. The court gave the family of the deceased the right to pardon them by accepting blood money or to proceed with the execution. Ale’s family demanded 1.5 crore rupees as blood money. Each needed to pay around 55 lakh rupees.
The court’s decision left both families helpless. Neither had the financial means to pay such a large amount. Shrestha had gone to the UAE due to his family’s poor financial status, leaving his elderly parents behind. Thapa was also financially weak.
Even after selling their homes and land, they could not collect half of the demanded money.
“We thought we would end our lives in prison,” he says.
But their families remained strong. They pleaded with Ale’s family for forgiveness, but Ale’s family did not agree.
As there was no way to pay the blood money, Shrestha thought he would die in a foreign land. He cried all the time.
“Being imprisoned without committing any crime caused us extreme pain,” he says.
While in prison, they saw other prisoners who died because they could not pay blood money, and they heard about prisoners who were hanged. Such experiences traumatised them.
“I had no hope that I would ever return home, and I used to remember my parents and my country,” says Shrestha. “I was depressed.”
A ray of hope and a new beginning
No parents want to hear about the death of their children, and Shrestha’s parents were no exception. His 65-year-old father, Yam Bahadur, started to collect blood money. He reached out to relatives, neighbours, and friends. He also sought help from the media and government bodies.
After some time, he started a campaign to collect money, which was also joined by Thapa’s family. In a short time, they collected a significant amount of money. Within 5 to 6 months, they gathered 11.5 million rupees.
In March, the families of Shrestha and Thapa paid the blood money to Ale’s family. Shrestha, who was in prison, learned the blood money had been collected. After completing all the legal procedures, they were released from prison.
“I jumped out of happiness,” he says.
After arriving in Nepal, Bhuwan Shrestha stayed at his brother’s home for a few days and met with relatives. Talking to Onlinekhabar, he says, “I am desperate to meet my parents; it’s been a long time.”
Although Shrestha is happy about being released from prison, the pain of not knowing the real cause behind Ale’s death still haunts him. However, Shrestha wants to forget the past and start a new life. He wanted to contact Ale’s family but could not reach them.
“Whatever pain I endured, I got a new life because of the Nepalis. If the people had not shown love and support, I would have died in another’s land,” says Shrestha.
The post From death sentence to freedom: Bhuwan Shrestha is back home appeared first on OnlineKhabar English News.
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