Time is running out: Can India still save Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya from execution in Yemen?

Dubai: In a desperate bid to save her daughter from the gallows, a mother from Kerala has sold her home, borrowed lakhs, and pleaded with governments and strangers alike — all to bring 34-year-old Nimisha Priya back home alive.

Nimisha, a nurse from Palakkad, is on death row in Sana’a, Yemen, for the 2017 murder of her former business partner, Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi.

After years of court proceedings, appeals, and failed negotiations, Yemen has set her execution for July 16, 2025.

The only hope left: a pardon from the victim’s family in exchange for diyah, or blood money, allowed under Yemeni law.

Her supporters have offered $1 million, but the victim’s family has not responded.

Her family said they haven’t received word on the official date being set. Her husband, Tomy Thomas, said, “We haven’t so far received any official communication. We only learned about it through some media reports and waiting.”

However, Samuel Jerome Baskaran, a social worker currently involved in negotiations with government officials in Yemen for her release, confirmed the news, saying, “the public prosecutor has issued the letter of prosecution to the jail authorities. The execution is scheduled for July 16. Options are still open. The Government of India can intervene in the matter to save her life.”

Now, her family and supporters are racing against the clock to halt the impending execution of Nimisha, with government sources telling PTI that they are in “touch with local authorities and her family.”

With no formal diplomatic ties with Yemen’s Houthi militants, India is operating in diplomatic grey zones. As the clock ticks down, Nimisha’s story has become a race against time — with a mother’s anguish at the heart of it.

Who is Nimisha Priya and why was she in Yemen?
Born to daily wage labourers, 34-year-old Nimisha trained to become a nurse and moved to Yemen in 2008 with hopes of securing a better life. She married Tomy Thomas, who hails from Idukki, in 2011. The couple returned to the capital city Sana’a, where they had a daughter.
Struggling to make ends meet, in 2014, she decided to open her own clinic. But financial pressures forced Thomas and their daughter to return to India that year. Nimisha stayed behind and tried to establish her clinic in Sana’a.

How did she become entangled with Talal Abdo Mahdi?
To legally run a clinic, she needed a local sponsor — and that’s when she partnered with Talal Abdo Mahdi, a Yemeni national. Over time, Nimisha alleged that Talal forged marriage documents claiming he was her husband, took control of her passport, extorted money from her business, and subjected her to physical and emotional abuse.

What exactly happened in 2017?
Nimisha, in a desperate attempt to retrieve her passport and flee, drugged Talal using sedatives. But the plan went tragically wrong — he overdosed and died. In panic, she tried to dismember and hide his body but was caught at the Saudi-Yemeni border. She was arrested in 2017.

What was the outcome of her trial?
In 2020, a Yemeni trial court sentenced her to death. The verdict was upheld in 2023 by the Supreme Judicial Council under Houthi-controlled territory. Yemen’s President Rashad Al Alimi formally approved the verdict in 2024, setting her execution date for July 16, 2025.

Why can’t India intervene directly?
India has no formal diplomatic ties with the Houthi regime, which controls Sana’a where Nimisha is imprisoned. This severely limits India’s ability to negotiate. The Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed that they are “closely monitoring” the situation and are providing all possible assistance to her family through informal channels.

What is being done to save her?
The only legal way to stop the execution is through diyah — a pardon granted by the victim’s family in exchange for blood money. Nimisha’s family, with the help of the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council, has raised $1 million (approx. ₹8.5 crore) and offered it to Mahdi’s family. So far, there has been no response.

Has anyone from her family tried to negotiate in person?
Yes. Nimisha’s mother, Premakumari, travelled to Yemen in 2023 to meet the victim’s family, relying on back-channel contacts. Currently, Samuel, who holds power of attorney for her mother, is again trying to meet the family ahead of the execution date to negotiate a pardon.

What toll has this taken on the family?
The financial burden has been crushing. The family reportedly owes ₹60 lakh, much of it from trying to set up the clinic in 2015 and legal costs since her arrest. Her mother now pleads for help from the public, stating, “This is my final plea. Please help save my daughter’s life.”

Is there still hope?
Yes — but it’s dwindling fast. If Mahdi’s family accepts the blood money and issues a formal pardon, Nimisha’s life can be spared. But the decision rests entirely with them, and they have not yet responded.