Nimisha Priya case: Yemen postpones 16 July execution after govt efforts

Indian government has been in regular touch with the local jail authorities and the prosecutor's office in Yemen, which lead to this postponement

Scheduled for July 16, Indian nurse Nimisha Priya's execution in the killing of business partner and Yemeni citizen Talal Abdo Mahdi has been postponed by the local authorities in Yemen, according to a government of India source.

 

The government of India has been rendering all possible assistance in the case since the beginning of the matter. The centre has made several efforts in recent days to seek more time for the family of Priya to reach a mutually agreeable solution with Mahdi's family.

Muslim leader's intervention helped the case

With the help of an influential Sunni Muslim leader Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar in Yemen, the government made some last-minute efforts to get the execution delayed, according to PTI. Indian officials have been in regular touch with the local jail authorities and the prosecutor’s office in Yemen, which lead to this postponement.

 

According to the report, representatives of prominent Sufi leader Sheikh Habib Umar bin Hafiz was supposed to discuss Priya's case with Mahdi's family in Dhamar on Tuesday. The meeting was scheduled after Musliyar, who is officially known as Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, took up Priya's case with the religious authorities in Yemen. 

 

The report added that a close relative of the deceased had arrived in Mahdi's hometown Dhamar to participate in the meeting. The relative also happens to be a key member of Yemeni Shura Council and the Chief Justice of Hodeidah State Court.

Nimisha Priya's whereabouts

Priya is currently behind the bars in Yemen's capital Sana'a, a city which is under the control of Iran-backed Houthis. Hailing from Kerala's Palakkad district, the 38-year-old nurse was found guilty of murdering Mahdi in July, 2017. Priya was sentenced to death in a Yemen court in 2020. Priya's appeal was dismissed by the country's Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023.

A history of abuse

In 2011, Priya had moved to Sana'a and started practising as a nurse. Three years later, her daughter and husband returned to India due to rising civil unrest in Yemen. Priya had to stay back to support her family financially. Priya had partnered Mahdi to set up a clinic, fulfilling Yemen's legal requirement of partnering a localite.

 

Priya's relationship with Mahdi soon turned abusive. According to Priya, she was subjected to years of abuse by Mahdi under the false pretence of marriage. She also accused Mahdi of drugging her and withholding her passport, which prevented her from returning to her family.