Yemeni authorities have postponed the execution of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, who was scheduled to be executed on Tuesday, July 16, after being convicted of murder. The temporary delay comes amid ongoing diplomatic and humanitarian efforts to secure a pardon through Yemen’s Islamic judicial process.
Priya, a 34-year-old nurse from Kerala, India, was sentenced to death in 2020 for the killing of her former business partner, Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi. His dismembered body was found in a water tank in 2017. Priya has denied premeditated murder, and her supporters argue the case was more complex, involving allegations of abuse and exploitation.
Under Yemen’s Sharia-based legal system, the only remaining path to save Priya is for Mahdi’s family to grant her a pardon in exchange for “diyah”, or blood money. Supporters of Priya say they have raised approximately $1 million (around £735,000) and formally offered it to the victim’s family in a bid for clemency.
“We are still trying to save her. But ultimately, the family has to agree to a pardon,” said Babu John of the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council.
However, Mahdi’s family has so far rejected all reconciliation attempts. His brother, Abdelfattah Mahdi, told BBC Arabic that they are demanding “Qisas” — retributive justice — and are not willing to accept financial compensation.
“Any dispute, whatever its reasons, can never justify a murder — let alone dismembering, mutilating and hiding the body,” he said, criticizing efforts by Indian media and campaigners to cast Priya as a victim.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that its diplomats have been in continuous contact with Yemeni authorities, including the jail and prosecutor’s office in Sanaa, where Priya is currently held. Officials said the government has been working to buy more time for her family and representatives to negotiate with Mahdi’s relatives.
Priya, who moved to Yemen in 2008 for work, was arrested in 2017. Her appeal to Yemen’s Supreme Court was rejected in 2023, and in early 2024, her execution was approved by Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the rebel Houthis’ Supreme Political Council.
In a desperate effort to save her daughter, Priya’s mother — a domestic worker from Kerala — has been in Yemen since April 2024. She has appointed Yemen-based social worker Samuel Jerome to lead negotiations on behalf of the family.
Although the execution has been temporarily halted, Priya’s fate still hinges on securing a pardon from the victim’s family — a task that grows more uncertain by the day.
