Kerala Nurse Nimisha Priya's Execution Postponed By Yemen Authorities: Sources

The execution of the Indian nurse Nimisha Priya which was scheduled for July 16 in Yemen has been postponed. Priya, who had been convicted for the death of her Yemeni business partner Talal Abdo Mehdi in 2017, had been handed the death sentence by a local court in Yemen.

Ashwin Ahmad Updated: Wednesday, July 16, 2025, 09:12 AM IST
Kerala Nurse Nimisha Priya | X

Kerala Nurse Nimisha Priya | X

New Delhi: The execution of the Indian nurse Nimisha Priya which was scheduled for July 16 in Yemen has been postponed. Priya, who had been convicted for the death of her Yemeni business partner Talal Abdo Mehdi in 2017, had been handed the death sentence by a local court in Yemen. However, government officials have disclosed that sustained efforts from various quarters, including the intervention of Kerala-based spiritual leader Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, who was said to be in touch with Yemeni religious authorities, had led to the postponement.

“The Government of India, which has been extending all possible assistance since the beginning of the case, made concerted efforts in recent days to seek more time for Ms. Nimisha Priya’s family to reach a mutually agreeable resolution with the victim’s family,” a source said.

Nimisha was sentenced to death in 2020, and her final appeal was rejected in 2023. The breakthrough is welcome as the government had acknowledged earlier that there was very little it could do to save the nurse from Kerala. Appearing before a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta Attorney General R Venkataramani stated that “there’s not much the Government of India can do, looking at the sensitivity of Yemen. It is not diplomatically recognised.”

This statement was with regard to the ongoing civil war in Yemen and the government does not recognise the rebel Houthi group who have taken over the capital Sanaa. The postponement of the execution does not mean the end of Nimisha’s ordeal. According to local reports, her family still has to persuade the deceased’s family to accept blood money that is estimated to be at Rs 8.6 crore ($1 million).

Under Shariah law, if blood money or diyah is accepted by the victim’s family the accused will be set free. Experts say the fact that the execution date has been postponed suggests Mehdi’s family may be considering this. The situation however remains in flux. According to West Asia expert Talmiz Ahmad, there are a number of factors that complicate this case.

“The fact that she is accused of killing a local makes the chances of a pardon more difficult. Secondly, many Arab families live in clans so it may be the case here that one has to mediate not just with the immediate family but with a clan who will be angry and seeking the ultimate penalty,” he said.

Published on: Tuesday, July 15, 2025, 01:57 PM IST

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