 "Nimisha Priya, from Kerala's Palakkad district, was arrested in 2017 and later convicted for the murder of her business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi. Image Courtesy: X")
The clock has run out on Indian nurse Nimisha Priya. The 37-year-old from Kerala’s Palakkad district will be executed on July 16 after being convicted for the murder of a Yemeni national.
Her family say that 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 who is 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 members” and “offering all possible assistance”.
The sorry tale of Nimisha Priya
Born to daily wage labourers, 37-year-old Nimisha trained to become a nurse and moved to Yemen in 2008 with the 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. However, as per Yemeni law, she needed a local as a partner. Enter — Yemen national Talal Abdo Mahdi. However, things quickly went awry as Nimisha’s family claims that Mahdi stopped sharing income the clinic’s income with her. When Nimisha confronted Mahdi, she was tortured.
Later, Mahdi, according to Nimisha’s family, also manipulated photos to claim that he was married to her and even produced forged documents of their marriage to court when she complained to the authorities. According to Nimisha’s family, she could not leave Yemen as her passport and travel documents were seized by Mahdi.
Fed up with the abuse, in July 2017, Nimisha injected Mahdi with sedatives in order to retrieve her passport. However, he died of an overdose. Then with the help of a fellow Yemeni nurse, she chopped up the body and disposed of the parts in a water tank. Though the two went into hiding, the police were able to catch them.
From jail to death row
A year after her crime, she was found guilty of murder. In 2020, she was sentenced to death by a trial court in Sanaa. Despite her many pleas, her appeals were rejected. In an effort to help secure her release, a group known as Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council was formed. This group comprises Nimisha’s family, friends, politicians, businessmen, activists, and expatriates seeking justice for her.
Yemen’s supreme court then upheld her death sentence in 2024. However, the ruling permitted for clemency through the payment of “ diya ”— a form of blood money — to the victim’s family. In Islamic law, the family of a murder victim has a say in the punishment of criminals — they can forgive the killer in exchange for a monetary compensation. And this became the central focus of the action group to save Nimisha.
However, this effort received a setback last year when Yemen’s President Rashad al-Alimi approved her execution. At that time, the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, said, “We are aware of the sentencing of Nimisha Priya in Yemen. We understand that the family of Priya is exploring relevant options. The government is extending all possible help in the matter.”
Nimisha’s mother, Prema Kumari has been in Sana’a since April last year as part of her efforts to save her.
Last-minute efforts to save Nimisha Priya
Despite the ominous news of her execution, the action council and her family isn’t giving up hope. They are still working on securing Nimisha’s release through diya, or blood money.
Baskaran was quoted as telling the Economic Times, “We had made an offer to the family during the last meeting. So far, they have not responded. I am leaving for Yemen today to resume the negotiations.”
Members of the group have also told News Minute that they will reach out to Mahdi’s family in the next two days in another attempt to negotiate and finalise the blood money amount. Earlier, they had reached out to the victim’s family and offered to pay $1 million (Rs 8.5 crore). However, progress stalled because the family did not communicate the amount they expect to be paid.
Meanwhile, New Delhi is also engaged in efforts to prevent the execution. But this has been complicated, as Nimisha is housed in a prison in Sana’a, which is under the control of Houthi rebels. India has no formal diplomatic ties with the rebels, limiting its ability to intervene directly.
Baskaran has, however, noted that the Government of India can intervene in the matter to save her life.
But despite the many twists and turns, the family is not willing to give up hope. As Nimisha’s husband, Tomy Thomas told the BBC, “My heart says that we can arrive at a settlement and save Nimisha’s life.”
With inputs from agencies