The nurse’s family and supporters say she was abused, manipulated, and acted in desperation. Under Yemeni law, her life could still be spared through blood money.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi / July 8, 2025
An Indian nurse, Nimisha Priya, faces execution by hanging in Yemen on July 16, after her death sentence was confirmed by the Yemeni President late last year. The 37-year-old, a native of Kerala’s Palakkad district, was convicted in 2018 of murdering a Yemeni national, her former business partner. With just days left, a last-ditch diplomatic and legal effort is underway to save her life.
Priya was working as a nurse in Yemen since 2011 and had opened a clinic with a local partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, in 2015. Her family and advocates claim she was a victim of exploitation and abuse, and that the fatal incident was not premeditated murder, but an act of desperation to recover her confiscated passport.
The Case That Shook Two Nations
According to Yemeni prosecutors, Priya injected Mahdi with sedatives in 2017 in an attempt to drug him and escape the country with her passport. However, Mahdi reportedly died of an overdose. What followed shocked Yemeni authorities: the body was allegedly dismembered and hidden in a water tank, leading to her arrest at the airport while trying to flee.
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In 2020, a Yemeni trial court sentenced her to death. The verdict was upheld by Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council in 2023 and approved by the President in December 2024. Yemen’s Public Prosecutor formally scheduled the execution for July 16 this year.
🚨 Nimisha Priya to be executed on July 16
Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, jailed in Yemen for allegedly killing a Yemeni national, is set to be hanged on July 16. The Yemeni public prosecutor has confirmed the death sentence and handed the order to prison authorities.
Efforts to… pic.twitter.com/cNY7NGICzR— Raksha Samachar | रक्षा समाचार 🇮🇳 (@RakshaSamachar) July 8, 2025
Under Yemeni law, based on Islamic Sharia, the family of the deceased has the right to pardon the convict in exchange for “blood money”. This remains the only remaining legal path to stop the execution.
Family’s Plea and Stalled Mediation
Priya’s family has been desperately attempting to negotiate with Mahdi’s family to accept blood money, but talks have stalled due to a lack of funds and diplomatic challenges. Her mother, Prema Kumari, even traveled to Yemen last year, pleading with the victim’s relatives and offering financial compensation to save her daughter.
However, mediation was disrupted when the appointed lawyer, Abdullah Ameer, reportedly demanded a higher fee of $40,000 to proceed with negotiations. Supporters raised part of this amount through crowdfunding, but the talks did not resume.
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“We were ready to pay the diya (blood money), but no one came forward to represent our cause properly. It’s a race against time now,” said a family friend and spokesperson for the “Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council.”
India’s Response and Diplomatic Efforts
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said it is “closely following the matter” and is in contact with Yemeni authorities. However, diplomatic channels remain limited due to the ongoing civil conflict and absence of a functioning Indian embassy in Yemen. India has reportedly conveyed its concerns through its missions in neighboring countries.
“We are doing everything possible under international norms and local laws. The situation is extremely sensitive and requires quiet diplomacy,” said a senior MEA official who asked not to be named.
Growing Calls for Clemency
Human rights groups, women’s organizations, and Indian diaspora bodies have ramped up pressure on the government to intervene more forcefully. They argue that Priya acted under duress and should not face capital punishment.
“She was isolated, abused, and abandoned in a foreign land. Her actions were desperate, not malicious,” said advocate Subhash Chandran, who has been coordinating international legal support.
Back in Kerala, Priya’s teenage daughter lives with relatives and has made public appeals for her mother’s life to be spared. “I just want my mother back,” she said in a recent video message circulated by activists.
Countdown to the Gallows
As the clock ticks toward July 16, hopes for a reprieve now rest solely on whether Mahdi’s family agrees to accept blood money and withdraw the demand for execution. Reports suggest a mediator is still trying to re-establish contact, but time is running out.
In the words of a family member, “This is not just about one woman—it’s about how a nation protects its citizens, even when they’re alone in the world.”
If executed, Nimisha Priya will be the first Indian woman to be hanged abroad in decades, marking a tragic and unprecedented chapter in India’s consular history.
