Nimisha Priya faces death in Yemen: Can India secure a lifeline for her before July 16?

Nimisha Priya, from Kerala's Palakkad district

Indian Nurse Nimisha Priya, 37, from Kerala’s Palakkad district, is set to be executed in war-torn Yemen's capital city Sana'a on July 16 after being convicted of murdering a Yemeni national.

She is accused for the murder of her former business partner Talal Abdo Mahdi - whose chopped-up body was discovered in a water tank in 2017.

India maintains diplomatic ties with Yemen’s internationally recognised government, the Presidential Leadership Council. However, efforts to intervene in Nimisha Priya’s case are complicated as the Houthis who control large parts of Yemen govern through a separate body called the Supreme Political Council, and India has no formal relations with them.

While her family says they have not been officially informed about the execution date, 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.”

Race to save Nimisha

After her conviction in 2023 by a Houthi-controlled court in Sana’a, Nimisha Priya was sentenced to death for murder, a verdict later affirmed by Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council.

Confusion arose when reports suggested President Rashad al-Alimi, of the internationally recognized government, had approved the sentence - but Yemen’s embassy in Delhi clarified the ruling was issued in Houthi-held territory.

India has since expressed full support to Nimisha’s family and has engaged in diplomatic efforts to prevent the execution. However, negotiations are complicated by India’s lack of formal ties with the Houthis.

Sources told Hindustan Times that India has been actively working to prevent Priya’s execution. “We have been closely following the matter since she was given the death sentence. We have been in regular touch with Yemeni authorities and her family members and rendered all possible assistance,” an Indian official was quoted as saying.

The Save Nimisha Priya Action Council and social worker Samuel Jerome Baskaran are pursuing a resolution through diya, or blood money. They initially offered $1 million (₹8.5 crore), but discussions stalled due to the victim’s family not responding with a required amount. Baskaran, who is negotiating in Yemen, confirmed that a prosecutor’s letter has been issued to the jail authorities scheduling the execution.

Samuel Jerome Baskaran, a social worker who is negotiating with government officials in Yemen and Talal's family, has confirmed to media outlets that a letter was issued by the public prosecutor to the jail authorities for the execution.

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.”

Story of Nimisha 

Born to daily-wage laborers in Kerala, Nimisha Priya trained as a nurse and moved to Yemen in 2008 seeking a better life. She married Tomy Thomas from Idukki in 2011, and the couple settled in Sana’a, where they had a daughter.

In 2014, Nimisha opened a clinic and partnered with local national Talal Abdo Mahdi, as required by Yemeni law. According to Nimisha’s family, Mahdi ceased sharing income, tortured her, and manipulated documents - producing falsified marriage papers to assert control. He also allegedly confiscated her passport and travel documents.

In July 2017, Nimisha reportedly sedated Mahdi to recover her passport, leading to his fatal overdose. With assistance from a Yemeni nurse, she allegedly dismembered Mahdi’s body and disposed of the remains in a water tank. The pair later fled, but were apprehended by authorities.

(With agency inputs)