The Kerala nurse, sentenced to death for a 2017 murder in Yemen, faces execution on July 16. With diplomatic options limited, religious diplomacy is seen as her final hope.
BY PC Bureau
July 14, 2025 — As the July 16 execution date nears for Nimisha Priya, a Kerala nurse sentenced to death in Yemen, a last-minute humanitarian push has been launched by one of India’s most respected Islamic religious leaders.
Influential Sunni Muslim cleric Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar, officially recognised as Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad and holding the title of Grand Mufti of India, has initiated high-level discussions with religious authorities in Yemen, according to informed sources. The aim: secure clemency for Priya through the Islamic practice of blood money, a legal provision under Shariah law.
Sources close to the matter said Musliyar, 94, has been making “all possible efforts” to halt the execution and has spoken to Yemeni clerics who are in touch with the family of Talal Abdo Mahdi, the Yemeni national she allegedly killed in 2017.
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Nimisha Priya, originally from Palakkad district, was convicted and sentenced to death in 2020. Her final appeal was rejected last year. She remains incarcerated in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, and is scheduled to face the death penalty on July 16, unless a negotiated settlement is reached.
According to the sources, talks regarding blood money have taken place, with details passed on to relevant stakeholders in Kerala. However, no formal announcement has been made about the outcome of the negotiations. An office has reportedly been set up at Musliyar’s headquarters in Kerala to facilitate further discussions.
🇮🇳🇾🇪 UPDATE:
Hope for Nimisha Priya? Final plea to save Kerala nurse before Yemen execution
Grand Mufti’s intervention raises hope for Malayali nurse’s July 16 execution in Yemen
Negotiations intensify in Yemen
Emergency talks are taking place in northern Yemen, led by… pic.twitter.com/37yJY92J41— Abhimanyu Manjhi (@AbhimanyuManjh5) July 14, 2025
Under Shariah law, “blood money” or diyya is a legally permissible compensation paid to the family of a victim in lieu of capital punishment. Acceptance of blood money by the victim’s family can result in a pardon, but the process requires sensitive negotiations and mutual agreement.
Govt Response and Legal Developments
Earlier today, the Central Government informed the Supreme Court that its diplomatic options are constrained in this case. Appearing before a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, Attorney General R Venkataramani said:
“The Government of India is trying its best and has also engaged with some sheikhs who are very influential people there… but there is not much else we can do.”
This statement drew concern from civil rights groups and women’s organisations that have been campaigning for Priya’s release. They argue that the government must play a more proactive role, especially in a case involving life and death.
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Nimisha Priya moved to Yemen in 2008 to work as a nurse and later entered into a business partnership with Mahdi. In 2017, she was arrested for allegedly drugging and killing him — a charge she claimed was self-defence following years of abuse and threats. Human rights groups have long contended that the trial lacked adequate legal safeguards.
Her family and supporters in India have repeatedly appealed to the Indian government and international organisations to intervene, citing humanitarian grounds and the possibility of a negotiated settlement.
With the clock ticking, Musliyar’s unprecedented outreach represents the most significant religious diplomatic intervention in the case so far. His stature in the global Islamic community and experience in mediating sensitive interfaith and humanitarian issues have brought a new dimension to the efforts to save Priya’s life.
If successful, this could not only avert a tragic outcome but also establish a model for religious diplomacy in crisis cases involving Indian citizens abroad.
