According to Yemen’s Sharia law, the only remaining option to save Priya is the acceptance of diya or "blood money" by the victim’s family
Digital Desk: The execution of Nimisha Priya, a 36-year-old nurse from Kerala’s Palakkad district, scheduled for July 16 in Yemen, has been postponed. The delay comes as a result of increased diplomatic and private negotiations aimed at securing a settlement with the victim's family.
In 2020, Priya was sentenced to death on all three counts over the murder of her Yemeni business associate, Talal Abdo Mahdi, in 2017, after she allegedly injected him with sedatives in a bid to recover her passport that had been confiscated. His death and the alleged dismemberment of his body led to her being sentenced to death. In 2023, the Yemen Supreme Court dismissed her last appeal. Her execution was approved in January 2025 by the Houthi Supreme Political Council.
Efforts to halt the execution have seen significant diplomatic outreach. The Indian government, though claiming to have limited official influence, remained in constant communication with the prison officials in Sanaa, Yemen, as well as consulted influential intermediaries. The Grand Mufti of India Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar has taken a pivotal role in negotiations with the Mahdi family.
An important gathering was held in Dhamar under the guidance of famous Yemeni religious leader Sheikh Habib Umar bin Hafiz, whose team carried the family of Mahdi to the table.
According to Yemen’s Sharia law, the only remaining option to save Priya is the acceptance of diya or "blood money" by the victim’s family. She has already proposed USD 1 million to her negotiation team, and negotiations are still ongoing.
On Monday, the Indian attorney general told the Supreme Court that the government had gone as far as it could within unofficial channels, including contacting Yemeni sheikhs. Currently, the stay offers a sliver of hope on the discussion of how a last-minute settlement might be achieved.
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