The scheduled execution of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya in Yemen has been temporarily postponed, according to sources from India’s Ministry of External Affairs. The delay comes as a last-minute effort is underway to secure a pardon from the victim’s family under Yemen’s Sharia law.
Nimisha Priya, who hails from Kerala, was sentenced to death in 2020 after being convicted of murdering her former business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, in 2017. His dismembered body was found in a water tank, a discovery that led to one of the most gruesome criminal cases involving a foreign national in Yemen.
The 34-year-old nurse has consistently denied committing the murder, insisting she did not kill Mahdi. Her family and legal team have since fought a prolonged legal battle, which ended in 2023 when Yemen’s Supreme Court upheld her death sentence. Earlier this year, the execution was officially approved by Mahdi al-Mashat, President of the rebel Houthi Supreme Political Council.
Under Yemen’s Islamic legal system, the only remaining hope for Priya is a pardon from the victim’s family, which can be granted in exchange for diyah, or blood money. Her family and supporters have raised $1 million and offered it to Mahdi’s relatives, pleading for forgiveness.
However, the victim’s family remains unmoved.
“Our stance on the attempts at reconciliation is clear; we insist on implementing God’s law in Qisas — retaliation in kind,” said Abdelfattah Mahdi, the victim’s brother, in an interview with BBC Arabic.
“No matter the reason, murder — especially one as brutal as this — cannot be justified.”
He also criticized Indian media outlets for what he described as attempts to distort the facts and portray Priya as a victim.
Meanwhile, Indian officials continue to engage with Yemeni authorities and prison officials to buy time for negotiations.
“We are still trying to save her. But ultimately, the family has to agree to a pardon,” said Babu John, a member of the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council.
Nimisha’s mother, a domestic helper from Kerala, has been in Yemen since April 2024, working tirelessly on behalf of her daughter. She has nominated Samuel Jerome, a Yemen-based social worker, to mediate with the Mahdi family.
Nimisha Priya initially moved to Yemen in 2008 for work as a nurse. Her arrest and trial have attracted national attention in India, where activists and rights groups have mounted campaigns to halt her execution and secure a negotiated settlement.
For now, her execution has been postponed, but the clock continues to tick. Unless the victim’s family grants a pardon, her life remains in jeopardy.
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