The execution of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, who has been sentenced to death in Yemen for the 2017 murder of a local citizen, has been postponed by Yemeni authorities, sources said on Tuesday. The execution was earlier scheduled for Wednesday, July 16.
Priya sentenced to death in 2020 for 2017 murder
Priya, 38, hails from Kollengode in Kerala’s Palakkad district. She was convicted of the murder of a Yemeni national in July 2017. A court in Yemen handed her the death penalty in 2020. Her appeal against the verdict was dismissed by the country’s Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023.
Lodged in Sana’a jail under Houthi control
She is currently lodged in a prison in Sana’a, the Yemeni capital that remains under the control of the Iran-backed Houthi authorities.
India sought more time for victim settlement efforts
According to sources, the Government of India made concerted diplomatic efforts in recent days to seek more time for Priya’s family to arrive at a mutually agreeable resolution with the victim’s kin. Indian officials have remained in regular contact with both the local jail authorities and the prosecutor’s office in Yemen, despite the sensitive and complex nature of the case.
These sustained engagements reportedly played a key role in securing the postponement of the execution.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has been involved in the matter since the beginning and continues to render all possible assistance, sources said.
