Nimisha Priya’s fate now hangs in the balance between two possibilities: serving a life sentence or securing her release upon payment of blood money. File.
The execution of Malayali nurse Nimisha Priya, who is on a death row for the alleged murder of Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi, has been revoked by the Houthi militia in Yemeni capital Sanaa, office of Sunni leader Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar claimed late on Monday (July 28, 2025).
Watch: Who is Nimisha Priya and how did she end up on death row in Yemen?
However, Indian officials handling the case did not confirm the development.
The claim by Mr. Kanthapuram came days after the July 16 execution of Nimisha Priya was postponed indefinitely as Indian officials maintained that the option of blood money was being discussed with the family of Talal, who was allegedly killed by Nimisha Priya in 2017.
A team of Yemeni scholars, appointed by Sheikh Habib Omer bin Hafiz, a widely regarded Sufi scholar in Yemen, at the request of Mr. Kanthapuram, worked alongside international diplomats to mediate an agreement, resulting in the decision to revoke Nimisha Priya’s execution, his office said.
Mr. Kanthapuram’s claim has been reportedly confirmed by Sarhan Shamsan Al Wiswabi, a Yemeni activist and spokesperson for the Action Council for Talal Mahdi’s Justice in Yemen, through a Facebook post on Monday.
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Mr. Wiswabi claimed in his post that due to the strong intervention of religious scholars, the death sentence has been waived. He said it would now be either release from prison or a life imprisonment for Nimisha Priya.
Following the commutation of her death sentence, Nimisha Priya’s fate now hangs in the balance between two possibilities: serving a life sentence or securing her release upon payment of blood money.
Indian official sources, however, refused to confirm the claim so far saying the case is complex as the victim’s family had not reached a consensus on pardoning Nimisha Priya.
That apart, they have hinted that the case has become a political topic between multiple political parties in Kerala with each side trying to take credit – through proxies – for supposed postponement of the death sentence.
(With inputs from Delhi Bureau)
Published – July 29, 2025 12:07 am IST
