Indian nurse Nimisha Priya. ARCHIVE

With just days left before her scheduled execution on July 16, Indian nurse Nimisha Priya faces a race against time as human rights groups, Indian politicians, and her family plead for urgent intervention to save her life. The 37-year-old from Kerala was sentenced to death in 2020 for the alleged murder of her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, in 2017. Her final appeal was dismissed in 2023, but under Sharia law, her life can still be spared if the victim’s family accepts blood money. Her husband, Tomy Thomas, confirmed receiving WhatsApp messages from her in Sana’a Central Prison. “She was very upset. I told her every effort is being made to save her,” he told local media. Despite the looming deadline, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has not confirmed the execution date. The situation is complicated by the absence of Indian diplomatic presence in Houthi-controlled Sana’a. An urgent petition filed by the Nimisha Priya International Action Council is set to be heard by the Supreme Court of India on Monday (July 14). The court has asked the Attorney General to provide an update on efforts to save Nimisha. “This is a humanitarian crisis. The government must act urgently,” said Kerala Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan, who wrote to President Droupadi Murmu. The Save Nimisha Priya Action Council has reportedly raised $1 million (₹8.5 crore) to offer as compensation, but the victim’s family has yet to respond. A social worker representing Nimisha’s family, Samuel Jerome Bhaskaran, is currently in Yemen trying to mediate a deal. “The only way is through influential local mediation,” he said. Nimisha had moved to Yemen in 2008 to work as a nurse and later opened a clinic. She claimed her business partner forged marriage papers, confiscated her passport, and abused her. In a desperate attempt to recover her documents, she sedated him, which resulted in his death. “We are doing everything possible. All eyes are now on New Delhi,” said her husband, Tomy. Her family remains hopeful that a last-minute pardon may be secured before the July 16 deadline. CAM/Expat Media
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