The execution of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, who was sentenced to death in Yemen for murder, has been cancelled, according to a leading Muslim cleric involved in negotiations. The office of Kanthapuram AP Aboobakr Musliyar announced on Monday that the sentence was revoked after mediation with the Houthi administration by a delegation of Yemeni scholars and diplomats.
Priya, 38, from Kerala, was convicted in 2020 of murdering her business partner Talal Abdo Mehdi, with whom she co-owned a clinic in Sanaa. Her execution, initially set for 16 July, was suspended to allow negotiations. The cleric's office stated that a high-level meeting in Sanaa decided to completely cancel the death sentence.
However, unnamed Indian foreign ministry sources told the ANI news agency that the information being shared is inaccurate. The Indian government had earlier informed the Supreme Court that it could do little to prevent the execution due to the lack of formal diplomatic ties with Yemen.
Priya has been in a Sanaa prison since her arrest in 2017. She was convicted of injecting Mehdi with sedatives in an attempt to retrieve her passport, which he had allegedly confiscated, resulting in his death. Her sentence was upheld by the Supreme Judicial Council in 2023. Under Yemeni law, a murder convict can be pardoned by the victim's family in exchange for diyat, or blood money.
Priya moved to Yemen in 2008 and launched a clinic with Mehdi. Her family alleged she suffered abuse at his hands and had filed a police complaint against him in 2016, leading to his brief arrest. Her mother, Prema Kumari, has been in Yemen for the past year campaigning for her daughter's release. She has made emotional appeals for help, thanking the Indian and Kerala governments for their support.
