Nimisha Priya’s Execution Deferred After Key Meeting with Talal’s Family in Yemen

New Delhi: The execution of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, who faces the death penalty in Yemen, has been temporarily deferred following a critical breakthrough in diplomatic and religious mediation efforts. According to the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, a crucial meeting with the family of the deceased Yemeni national, Talal, has taken place, offering a glimmer of hope for a resolution.

Until recently, all efforts to connect with Talal’s family had failed, largely due to the intense emotional and tribal sensitivities surrounding the case. However, the intervention of Indian Grand Mufti Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar changed the course. Through his outreach to Sufi leaders in Yemen, Kanthapuram facilitated dialogue with Talal’s family, breaking the long-standing deadlock.

The meeting, held yesterday in Talal’s native region of Dhamar, was attended by a key relative of the deceased, a senior figure who serves as Chief Justice of the Hodeidah State Court and is a member of the Yemen Shura Council. A follower of influential Sufi leader Sheikh Habib Umar bin Hafiz, he reportedly played a decisive role in persuading the family to consider reconciliation.

Following this engagement, Yemeni authorities granted a temporary deferment of Nimisha’s execution, which had been scheduled for tomorrow. Efforts are now focused on securing a full pardon through the acceptance of blood money (diyya), the only remaining legal pathway after all judicial appeals were exhausted. The family has not yet agreed to diya, but discussions are reportedly progressing in a positive direction.

Nimisha Priya moved to Yemen in 2011 and set up a medical clinic in Sana’a in 2015 with the support of Talal. In 2014, financial hardships forced her husband and daughter to return to India. Over the years, Talal allegedly subjected Nimisha to prolonged abuse, reportedly forging marriage documents, confiscating her passport, blackmailing her, and extorting money.

In a desperate attempt to escape, she allegedly tried to sedate Talal to retrieve her passport and flee. The situation escalated, resulting in his death. She was arrested in July 2017 and charged with murder, allegedly with the help of an accomplice. A trial court sentenced her to death in 2020. Higher court appeals failed, and in 2023, the Supreme Judicial Council upheld the verdict.

When Kerala’s Chief Minister sought central government intervention, the Union Government told the Supreme Court that it had already exhausted all diplomatic avenues.

Now, with diplomatic channels reopened and a rare extension granted, Nimisha’s fate depends on continued negotiations and the willingness of Talal’s family to accept blood money.