The family of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who has been sentenced to death for murder in Yemen, on Tuesday said they were happy after hearing the news of her execution date being postponed.
Nimisha’s husband Tomy Thomas told PTI that efforts to avert her execution will continue. “The execution has been postponed. That is good news. We are happy and relieved. I am sure efforts will continue to avert her execution and bring her back safely,” he said.
He thanked everyone who worked hard to support the cause.
Thomas said they have a daughter studying in class XIII, and that the child has been kept away from these developments.
Nimisha’s execution was scheduled for July 16 but was postponed earlier today. “In the case of Nimisha Priya, it has been learnt that the local authorities in Yemen have postponed the execution scheduled for July 16, 2025,” ANI quoted sources as saying.
Why is Nimisha Priya on death row in Yemen
The 38-year-old nurse hails from Kollengode in Palakkad district. A Yemeni court pronounced her guilty of murdering her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, in July 2017.
This major relief for Nimisha Priya comes after the Indian government lobbied for a resolution. Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar, the 94-year-old Sunni Muslim leader who holds the title of the Grand Mufti of India, also held talks with religious authorities in Yemen to save the Indian nurse.
On July 15, a meeting was arranged between representatives of the influential Sunni Muslim leader and the family of the Yemeni national who was allegedly killed by Nimisha, PTI reported.
A Yemeni court had granted Nimisha Priya a death sentence in 2020 for murdering Talal. In November 2023, the country’s Supreme Judicial Council rejected her final appeal.
Centre’s limitation to save the Indian nurse
The Supreme Court on Monday expressed sadness over the Indian government’s submission that there is not much it can do to intervene and save Nimisha Priya.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing a plea seeking directions to the Indian government to save Nimisha from Yemen death row, through diplomatic channel negotiations.
The counsel who appeared for Nimisha informed the court that the only remaining option to save her is through a blood money settlement, provided the family of the deceased is willing to accept it, an ANI report said.
The Attorney General of India (AGI) stated that the Indian government is making every possible effort to help Nimisha. He further informed the court that talks are ongoing with Yemeni authorities, including the public prosecutor handling Nimisha’s case, to secure a suspension of the execution order until negotiations can be pursued.
However, the AGI also admitted that the Indian government’s ability to intervene is limited, describing it as “a very complex issue,” adding, “there’s no way we can know what’s happening (in Yemen).”
“There’s nothing much that we can do… It’s not like any other part of the world (where possible negotiations can be carried out)”, the AGI stated.
(With inputs from agencies)