Kerala Nurse Nimisha Priya’s Execution In Yemen Postponed, Say Sources

New Delhi: The execution of Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala sentenced to death in Yemen, has been postponed.

The Government of India (GoI), which has been involved in the case from the very beginning, has recently stepped up its efforts to help Ms. Nimisha Priya’s family gain more time to reach a mutually acceptable resolution with the other party.

“GoI has consistently extended all possible assistance in this matter,” sources said, adding that in recent days, Indian officials intensified diplomatic outreach to secure a postponement of the execution.

“Despite the sensitivities involved, Indian officials remained in regular contact with the local jail authorities and the prosecutor’s office in Yemen, which played a key role in achieving this temporary reprieve,” sources further stated.

The move follows sustained appeals and diplomatic interventions, with the Centre confirming on Monday it was doing "utmost possible" to save the 38-year-old from Palakkad, Kerala.

Priya, convicted of murdering her Yemeni business partner Talal Abdo Mahdi in 2017, has been on death row since 2020. Yemen's Supreme Judicial Council upheld her sentence in November 2023.

She remains imprisoned in Sanaa, the capital, which is under Houthi control and outside formal diplomatic reach.

Attorney General R Venkataramani informed the Supreme Court on Monday that the government had "engaged with some sheikhs who are very influential people there" and had written to the local public prosecutor to request a temporary suspension of the execution.

However, he added that the situation remained "very complex" given the lack of diplomatic recognition of the Houthi regime.

"There is a point up to which the Government of India can go and we have reached that point," he said, cautioning against further public pressure. "Probably we got some kind of an informal communication saying probably the execution is kept under abeyance. We don't know how far to believe that."

Priya's legal team, supported by the NGO 'Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council', told the court that her mother and a social worker are currently in Yemen negotiating with Mahdi's family to accept blood money-a compensation recognised under Sharia law. The group has not sought government funding and says it will raise the funds independently.

The court adjourned the matter to July 18, asking both sides to report on the status of the negotiations.

Read More: Who Did Indian Nurse Nimisha Priya, Set To Be Hanged on July 16 in Yemen, Kill And Why? The Murder Case Explained