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Sanaa, Yemen – Nimisha Priya, a 37-year-old nurse from Kerala, India, is scheduled to be executed on July 16, 2025, in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, for the 2017 murder of her business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, according to campaigners working to save her life. The Indian nurse, who has been on death row since her conviction in 2018, faces a critical moment as her supporters and family make desperate attempts to secure a pardon through the payment of "diyah" or blood money under Yemen’s Sharia-based legal system.
Priya was arrested in July 2017 after Mahdi’s dismembered body was found in a water tank. She was charged with administering an overdose of sedatives, which she denied, claiming she only intended to retrieve her passport from Mahdi, who allegedly subjected her to physical abuse, financial exploitation, and threats. Her lawyer argued that Mahdi had tortured her, seized her money and passport, and even threatened her with a gun. Despite these claims, a Yemeni court sentenced her to death in 2020, and Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council upheld the verdict in November 2023, leaving a pardon from Mahdi’s family as her only hope for clemency. Efforts to save Priya have intensified in recent months. Her mother, Prema Kumari, a domestic worker from Kochi, has been in Yemen since April 2024, tirelessly campaigning for her daughter’s release. Supported by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, a group of non-resident Indian social workers in Yemen, Kumari has been negotiating with Mahdi’s family to offer $1 million (£735,000) in blood money to secure a pardon. However, the victim’s family has so far been unrelenting, with no response to the latest offer, according to Samuel Jerome Baskaran, a Yemen-based social worker leading the negotiations. “We are still hopeful that the execution can be halted, though time is running out,” Baskaran told reporters, adding that he is resuming talks with Mahdi’s family and tribal leaders. “The Government of India can also intervene to save her life,” he urged, highlighting the possibility of diplomatic efforts to facilitate a resolution. India’s Ministry of External Affairs has stated it is closely monitoring the situation and has been in regular contact with Yemeni authorities and Priya’s family, providing all possible assistance. However, the lack of formal diplomatic channels with the Houthi administration, which controls Sanaa, complicates negotiations. Indian officials are still working to confirm the execution date, which was reported by Baskaran after being informed by prison authorities. The case has sparked widespread concern in India, with Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP John Brittas urging External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to intervene at the highest levels to halt the execution and expedite blood money negotiations. “The distressing news of this impending execution has caused widespread anxiety and anguish among her family and well-wishers,” Brittas wrote, criticizing the government for placing the burden on Priya’s financially strained family despite earlier assurances of support. Priya’s husband, Tomy Thomas, and their daughter, now in a hostel due to the family’s financial difficulties, remain hopeful that a last-minute reprieve can be secured. The Save Nimisha Priya Action Council previously raised $40,000 through crowdfunding, which was transferred to the Indian Embassy for negotiations, but earlier efforts stalled. The council continues to push for a resolution, emphasizing that Mahdi’s family could accept a pardon even at the last moment. As the execution date looms, all eyes are on whether diplomatic intervention or a successful blood money agreement can save Nimisha Priya’s life, highlighting the challenges faced by Indian nationals in conflict zones and the complexities of navigating Yemen’s legal and political landscape.
