Indian Nurse Nimisha Priya's Execution Postponed By Yemeni Authorities: Reports

Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse, faces imminent execution in Yemen for a 2017 murder. Urgent negotiations, including "blood money" offer, were underway to secure a pardon from the victim's family.

Priya, a native of Kerala, was convicted in 2020 for the murder of her Yemeni business associate, Talal Abdo Mahdi, and was scheduled to be executed on July 16.

Source : ABPLive Hindi

In a significant development, the execution of Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse facing the death penalty in Yemen, has been postponed, according to PTI sources close to the matter.

Priya, a native of Kerala, was convicted in 2020 for the murder of her Yemeni business associate, Talal Abdo Mahdi, and was scheduled to be executed on July 16. The postponement offers a brief but critical window for Indian diplomats and humanitarian groups to continue negotiations to save her life.

Legal & Diplomatic Tightrope

Nimisha Priya, originally from Palakkad, was convicted in 2020 for the murder of Mahdi, reportedly committed in an attempt to retrieve her passport and return to India after enduring abuse. Her final appeal was rejected in 2023, leaving diplomatic intervention as the only remaining hope.

However, India's hands are tied due to the lack of formal diplomatic ties with Yemen’s Houthi-led government, which controls the capital Sanaa where Priya is imprisoned, reported The Hindustan Times.

Blood Money To Save Nimisha Priya?

Earlier, a philanthropic trust that previously helped in securing the release of Abdul Rahim in Saudi Arabia has stepped forward, offering Rs 11 crore as blood money to Mahdi’s family in hopes of securing a last-minute pardon. Under Sharia, families of murder victims can forgive the offender in exchange for financial compensation.

Advocate Subhash Chandran KR, representing Nimisha Priya and the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, told Onmanorama’s News Brake podcast that the immediate goal is to delay the execution to create space for extended negotiations.

Talks are being mediated by a prominent Yemeni Sufi scholar with key support from Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad (Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar), India’s Grand Mufti and an influential Sunni leader. A crucial meeting between the scholar’s team and Mahdi’s family is expected to pave way.