Has Yemen cancelled Nimisha Priya's death sentence? Here's what we know

After years in prison and last-minute interventions, Nimisha Priya's execution originally scheduled for July 16 was stayed just a day prior

No official statement has been issued confirming the overturning of the death sentence of Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala convicted of murder in Yemen, government sources said on Tuesday.

 

This comes after a report by news agency ANI claimed that Priya’s execution had been overturned and completely cancelled, citing the office of 'Grand Mufti' Kanhapuram AP Abubakker Musliyar.

 

According to the report, the Grand Mufti’s office made the statement on July 28, following a high-level meeting in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. Her execution had previously been suspended after diplomatic efforts by the Indian government and an appeal by the Grand Mufti.

 

 

Nimisha’s execution, originally scheduled for July 16, was temporarily halted just a day earlier after Musliyar urged Yemeni authorities to reconsider.

Execution delayed after diplomatic efforts

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had been actively engaged in efforts to save Nimisha. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that a lawyer had been appointed to assist her family and that the government had been exploring options for clemency under Sharia law.

 

These efforts gained urgency after Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council upheld her death sentence in November 2023. The latest development represents a major breakthrough in the campaign to secure her release. 

 

Nimisha was convicted in the killing of her business partner, Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi, in 2017. Musliyar reportedly engaged in extensive talks with Yemeni religious authorities, calling for the release of the 37-year-old nurse.

 

His last-minute intervention, supported by a prominent Yemeni Sufi scholar, is believed to have been instrumental in stopping her execution.

Who is Nimisha Priya?

Nimisha Priya, 37, is a trained nurse from Kerala who worked in private hospitals across Yemen for several years. In 2014, her husband and young daughter returned to India due to financial hardship. That same year, Yemen’s civil war began, and the country suspended the issue of new visas, making it impossible for her family to return.

Setting up a clinic in Sanaa

In 2015, Nimisha established a clinic in Sanaa with the assistance of Talal Abdo Mahdi, a Yemeni citizen. Since Yemeni law prohibits foreign nationals from owning clinics, Mahdi was made a legal partner. 

 

However, during a visit to Kerala, Mahdi allegedly stole a wedding photograph of Nimisha and used it to falsely claim they were married. According to her mother’s statement, Mahdi then began harassing her.

Allegations of abuse and fraud

Mahdi reportedly forged clinic ownership documents and took control of Nimisha’s finances. He is also accused of seizing her passport, drugging her, threatening her with a firearm, and physically abusing her over a prolonged period. When she approached local police, Nimisha was instead arrested and jailed for six days.

 

Upon her release, the abuse reportedly escalated. In July 2017, Nimisha sought help from a jail warden. Following his advice, she attempted to sedate Mahdi in order to retrieve her passport and escape the country. The first attempt failed, but during the second, Mahdi — reportedly a drug user — died from an overdose. 

Conviction and sentencing

In June 2018, Nimisha was convicted of Mahdi’s murder and sentenced to death. Her appeal was rejected in 2023. Her execution was scheduled for July 2025 before India’s diplomatic and religious intervention led to its postponement.