Execution of Nimisha Priya temporarily suspended amid ongoing negotiations in Yemen

The execution of Nimisha Priya, the Kerala nurse facing the death penalty in Yemen, has been temporarily suspended, according to media reports. However, the victim’s family has yet to grant a pardon or agree to accept blood money, said Samuel Jerome Baskaran, a long-time Yemen-based member of the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council.

Nimisha was convicted for the 2017 murder of her Yemeni business partner. With her execution scheduled for July 16, intense diplomatic and humanitarian efforts are underway to save her.

Currently on death row in Sanaa, Nimisha's case is further complicated by India’s lack of diplomatic presence in Yemen and its non-recognition of the ruling authorities. These challenges have limited official intervention, prompting Indian officials and religious leaders to engage through informal and tribal channels in a last-minute bid for clemency.

It was a race against time, and after a lengthy period of multipronged negotiations, the execution of Nimisha Priya, which was to happen on Wednesday, has been kept in abeyance.

Priya, who was sentenced to death for the 2017 murder of her Yemeni business partner, was due to be executed on Wednesday. However, following sustained negotiations involving Indian officials, religious leaders, and mediators in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, a fresh stay order was issued late Tuesday night.

The order, signed by the Prison Execution Officer and the local court judge, has temporarily halted the execution.

A key figure in the last-minute intervention was Grand Mufti of Kerala, Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, who engaged his associate, a member of Yemen’s Shoora Council, to mediate with the victim’s family and local authorities. The Chief Justice of the Hudaydah Court and senior Yemeni clerics also participated in the dialogue.

Indian diplomatic officials, present during the negotiations, confirmed that the government has "stretched to the maximum" to obtain this relief.

The next phase of negotiations will centre around the payment of blood money, a provision in Islamic law that allows for clemency in exchange for compensation to the victim’s family.

Talks are now underway to persuade the family of Talal Abdo Mehdi, the deceased, to accept the arrangement.

Nimisha’s husband, Tomy Thomas, welcomed the news with cautious optimism. "We are happy, but we know there’s still a long way to go," he said.

Local mediator Sabu M. Jerome, who coordinated the meetings, thanked the governments of Yemen, India, and the individuals from Saudi Arabia who played a role.

Kerala’s Governor Rajendra V. Arlekar also intervened, contacting officials at India’s Ministry of External Affairs, while UAE-based businessman M.A. Yusuf Ali has offered financial support if needed.

Nimisha Priya moved to Yemen in 2008 to work as a nurse and later opened her own clinic. In 2017, she allegedly administered sedatives to Mehdi during a dispute over her passport, which he had confiscated. The sedatives proved fatal.

She was arrested while trying to flee the country and was convicted of murder in 2018. Her death sentence was upheld in 2023.

The Supreme Court of India heard the matter earlier this week, while political leaders from across Kerala appealed to the Union Government and the President for intervention.

Priya’s case has sparked widespread concern, highlighting the vulnerability of Indian migrant workers, especially women, in conflict zones. Her mother, Prema Kumari, has been at the forefront of the campaign to save her daughter, even travelling to Yemen to meet the victim’s family.

She is supported by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, a coalition of NRIs and human rights advocates.

— With inputs from IANS