The execution of Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse facing the death penalty in Yemen, has been postponed, sources told TOI on Tuesday. The 38-year-old from Kerala’s Palakkad district remains imprisoned in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, which is controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi group.
Last-minute efforts to save Priya’s life were initiated 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 victim's family. Talks are taking place in Dhamar, the hometown of the deceased, Talal Abdo Mahdi.
“The agreement of the family to even speak with representatives of Sheikh Habib Umar gives us hope,” a source told PTI. A close relative of the deceased, who also holds senior positions in the Yemeni judiciary and Shura Council, has reportedly agreed to attend the talks at the advice of the Sufi scholar.
Attorney General R Venkataramani told the Supreme Court on Monday that the government was doing its utmost under the circumstances. “Yemen is not even diplomatically recognised. It’s very complex,” he said, adding that India had written to the public prosecutor to request a deferral of the execution.
What was the case?According to Yemeni court records, Nimisha Priya allegedly drugged and murdered Mahdi in July 2017, with the help of another nurse, before dismembering his body and disposing of the remains in an underground tank. She was convicted in 2020 and her final appeal was dismissed in 2023.
The case revolves around a business dispute. Priya had partnered with Mahdi to open a clinic in Sanaa in 2015, as Yemeni law requires local sponsorship for foreigners to run businesses. Activists argue she was a victim of war and never received proper legal defence due to the ongoing civil conflict.
Who is Nimisha Priya?
Nimisha Priya is a nurse from Kollengode in Kerala. She moved to Yemen in search of better work opportunities and later tried to establish her own clinic. Her supporters say she endured severe abuse and exploitation, and that the murder was the result of prolonged trauma.
An international campaign group, Save Nimisha Priya, continues to work to raise the required ‘blood money’ under Sharia law to secure her release. The Supreme Court is expected to hear further updates on July 18.
Last-minute efforts to save Priya’s life were initiated 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 victim's family. Talks are taking place in Dhamar, the hometown of the deceased, Talal Abdo Mahdi.
“The agreement of the family to even speak with representatives of Sheikh Habib Umar gives us hope,” a source told PTI. A close relative of the deceased, who also holds senior positions in the Yemeni judiciary and Shura Council, has reportedly agreed to attend the talks at the advice of the Sufi scholar.
Attorney General R Venkataramani told the Supreme Court on Monday that the government was doing its utmost under the circumstances. “Yemen is not even diplomatically recognised. It’s very complex,” he said, adding that India had written to the public prosecutor to request a deferral of the execution.
What was the case?According to Yemeni court records, Nimisha Priya allegedly drugged and murdered Mahdi in July 2017, with the help of another nurse, before dismembering his body and disposing of the remains in an underground tank. She was convicted in 2020 and her final appeal was dismissed in 2023.
The case revolves around a business dispute. Priya had partnered with Mahdi to open a clinic in Sanaa in 2015, as Yemeni law requires local sponsorship for foreigners to run businesses. Activists argue she was a victim of war and never received proper legal defence due to the ongoing civil conflict.
Who is Nimisha Priya?
Nimisha Priya is a nurse from Kollengode in Kerala. She moved to Yemen in search of better work opportunities and later tried to establish her own clinic. Her supporters say she endured severe abuse and exploitation, and that the murder was the result of prolonged trauma.
An international campaign group, Save Nimisha Priya, continues to work to raise the required ‘blood money’ under Sharia law to secure her release. The Supreme Court is expected to hear further updates on July 18.
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