In a major relief, Yemen has postponed the execution of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who was on death row. Previously scheduled for July 16, her execution is now on hold, as confirmed by her counsel. The new execution date remains unclear.
Indian government, which has since the beginning of the case been rendering all possible assistance in the matter, made concerted efforts in recent days to seek more time for the family to reach a mutually agreeable solution with the other party. Indian officials have been actively engaging with Yemen’s jail authorities and prosecutor’s office, which is believed to have led to the postponement of Nimisha Priya’s execution.
The Big development
The development comes a day after the Centre informed the Supreme Court that it had done all it could to save Priya. “There’s nothing much the government can do… looking at the sensitivity of Yemen… It’s not diplomatically recognised… There’s a point till which the government of India can go. We have reached that. Yemen is not like any other part of the world. We didn’t want to complicate the situation by going public, we are trying at a private level,” Attorney-General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, had said.
Kanthapuram Aboobacker Musliyar
Last-minute efforts to stop the scheduled execution were made by influential Sunni Muslim leader Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar, who reportedly met with a prominent Sufi scholar in Yemen to save Nimisha Priya. However, the Indian government’s intervention is credited with halting the execution.
Nimisha’s Story
Nimisha Priya moved to Yemen in 2008 to support her family and opened a clinic in 2015 with Yemeni citizen Talal Abdo Mehdi as her sponsor. Their professional relationship deteriorated, with Priya accusing Mehdi of misappropriating clinic funds, confiscating her passport, and subjecting her to ongoing harassment and abuse. However, documents also said that Nimisha was married to Talal.
In 2017, attempting to retrieve her documents, including her passport and escape, she sedated Mehdi. It led to his death. Nimisha told the court she killed Talal by administering anaesthesia after he threatened her life, and with her colleague Hanan, dismembered and disposed of his body in a reservoir. After fleeing to another hospital 200 km away, she was arrested following a tip from hospital authorities and has been imprisoned in Sana’a since 2017. She was sentenced to death in 2020. The Save Nimisha Priya Action Council has since campaigned for her release, pursuing legal appeals and negotiating diyat (blood money) to seek a pardon from Mehdi’s family, as permitted under Yemeni law.
‘Diyat’ Option Under Sharia Law
Another ray of hope is on the ‘Diyat’ option under Sharia Law. Diyat is also known as Diyyah, is a concept in Islamic law (Sharia) that refers to financial compensation paid to the family of a victim in cases of murder, manslaughter, or bodily harm. It serves as a form of blood money, allowing the victim’s family to forgive the offender and potentially waive or reduce punishments like execution or imprisonment. Diyat could be an option if her family successfully negotiates with the victim’s family to accept compensation, potentially sparing her from execution.
