Desperate Efforts Underway to Save Keralite Nurse Facing Death Penalty in Yemen

Sana’a, July 10, 2025: Nimisha Priya, a 36-year-old Keralite nurse who is currently on death row in the Central Prison in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a, will be executed on July 16, according to human rights activist Samuel Jerome. Her family, supporters, and Indian government officials are racing against time, mounting a flurry of last-ditch diplomatic and humanitarian efforts to save her life.

A native of Kollengode in Kerala's Palakkad district, Nimisha faces the death penalty for the 2020 murder of Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi, her former business partner. Yemeni authorities confirmed July 16, 2025, as the execution date earlier this week.

A Yemeni trial court had sentenced Nimisha to death in 2020. The verdict was upheld in 2023 by Yemen's Supreme Judicial Council. Yemen’s President Rashad Al Alimi formally approved the verdict in 2024, setting her execution date for July 16, 2025. Prison authorities received the final execution order earlier this week, according to Samuel Jerome Baskaran, a social worker currently negotiating with government officials in Yemen for Nimisha’s release.

India faces severe limitations in intervening directly in the case, as it does not have any formal diplomatic relations with the Houthi regime that controls Sana’a, where Nimisha is imprisoned. However, 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.

Under Yemeni law, the only legal avenue to avert the execution is for the victim’s family to accept diyah (blood money) and issue a formal pardon. Nimisha’s family, supported by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, has raised $1 million (approximately ₹8.5 crore) and offered it to Mahdi’s family as compensation. However, despite repeated outreach, they remain unresponsive to the offer.

Currently, Samuel, who holds the power of attorney for Nimisha’s mother, is once again trying to meet Mahdi’s family ahead of the execution date to negotiate a pardon.

Despite the grim timeline, hope persists. If Mahdi’s family grants a pardon before July 16, authorities can legally halt Nimisha’s execution. With public pressure mounting and diplomatic appeals intensifying, the next few days will determine whether a last-minute reprieve can be secured.

Source: Gulf News