The execution of Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse sentenced to death in Yemen, has been postponed, reports said on Tuesday. The 38-year-old from Kerala’s Palakkad district remains in prison in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi group.
Last-minute efforts to save her life were led by prominent Sunni cleric Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar, who reached out to religious authorities in Yemen. Sufi scholar Sheikh Habib Umar bin Hafiz is now leading negotiations with the family of the deceased, Talal Abdo Mahdi, in Dhamar, Mahdi’s hometown.
“The fact that the family has agreed to talk to Sheikh Habib Umar’s representatives gives us hope,” a source was quoted as saying. A close relative of Mahdi, who holds senior posts in Yemen’s judiciary and Shura Council, has also reportedly joined the discussions at the scholar’s request.
Attorney General R Venkataramani informed the Supreme Court on Monday that the government was making every possible effort despite the challenges. “Yemen isn’t even diplomatically recognized. It’s very complex,” he said, noting that India had requested the public prosecutor to defer the execution.
Who is Nimisha Priya?
Priya, a nurse from Kollengode in Kerala, moved to Yemen for work and later attempted to run her own clinic. Supporters claim she suffered prolonged abuse and exploitation, and that the crime happened after years of trauma.
What is the case about?
According to Yemeni court records, Priya allegedly drugged and murdered Mahdi in July 2017 with the help of another nurse, before dismembering the body and hiding it in an underground tank. She was convicted in 2020, and her final appeal was rejected in 2023.
The case stemmed from a business dispute. In 2015, Priya had partnered with Mahdi to open a clinic in Sanaa, as Yemeni law requires foreign nationals to have a local sponsor. Activists argue she was caught in Yemen’s civil conflict and never received proper legal defense.
An international campaign group, Save Nimisha Priya, is working to raise the ‘blood money’ required under Sharia law to save her life. The Supreme Court is expected to hear the next update on July 18.