Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, who was convicted of murdering a Yemeni man in 2017, is scheduled to be executed on July 16, according to a negotiator involved in efforts to save her life.
Samuel Jerome Baskaran, a social worker currently in touch with Yemeni authorities and the victim’s family, confirmed the development on Thursday, July 10, 2025.
“The public prosecutor had issued the letter of prosecution to the jail authorities. The execution is scheduled for July 16,” said Baskaran. “Options are still open. The Government of India can intervene in the matter to save her life.”
Nimisha, 38, is a trained nurse from Kerala, India, who had moved to Yemen years ago to work. With the help of a Yemeni man, Talal Abdo Mehdi, she opened a clinic. However, reports suggest that she endured mental, physical, and financial abuse during their partnership, which eventually led to the killing of Talal in what she claimed was a desperate attempt to escape mistreatment.
She was convicted of murder by a Yemeni trial court and sentenced to death — a decision later upheld by the country’s Supreme Court. In 2024, Yemen’s President Rashad al-Alimi approved her execution, and the final order has remained with the prosecutor since January 2025.
Her only hope now rests on securing a pardon from the family of the victim, under Yemen’s practice of “blood money” or Diya, where the victim’s family can forgive the offender in exchange for compensation.
“We had made an offer to the family during the last meeting. So far, they have not responded,” said Baskaran. “I am leaving for Yemen today to resume the negotiations.”
Nimisha’s mother, Prema Kumari, a domestic worker from Kochi, has been in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, for over a year, fighting for her daughter’s life. She had earlier approached the Delhi High Court to lift travel restrictions to Yemen due to the ongoing conflict.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has previously stated it would extend all possible assistance to Nimisha and her family, but as of now, no diplomatic breakthrough has been announced.
With just days left before the scheduled execution, Nimisha’s future remains uncertain—dependent on a last-minute pardon, or direct intervention from the Indian government.
