Sunni Cleric Steps In to Save Indian Nurse Facing Execution in Yemen.
With just hours left before Indian nurse Nimisha Priya’s scheduled execution in Yemen, prominent Sunni cleric Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar—Grand Mufti of India—has joined urgent efforts to save her life by convincing the victim’s family to accept blood money, the only remaining legal option under Yemeni law.
Final Attempt at Reconciliation
Priya, a Kerala native, has been on death row since being convicted for the 2017 murder of her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mehdi. Her lawyer Subhash Chandran confirmed that Musliyar has directly reached out to the victim’s family and local religious leaders in Yemen to negotiate a possible settlement through diya (blood money).
“We are trying our best so the family accepts the blood money and the Kerala nurse is spared,” Chandran said.
Musliyar has reportedly initiated dialogue with influential figures in Yemen, working behind the scenes to secure a pardon through religious and moral persuasion.
Government Response and Court Intervention
On July 14, the Supreme Court of India heard a petition from the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council. During the hearing, Attorney General R Venkataramani told the bench that the Indian government is “making every possible effort,” but acknowledged limits due to Yemen’s legal framework and volatile political climate.
The Case So Far
Nimisha Priya moved to Yemen in 2008 to support her family and later opened her own clinic with a local partner, as required by Yemeni law. That partner, Talal Mehdi, allegedly harassed her and withheld her passport.
In 2017, she attempted to retrieve the document by sedating Mehdi. He died in the process, and Priya was arrested while trying to flee the country. She has been imprisoned since and is said to be working as a nurse inside the facility.
Execution Set for July 16
Priya’s execution is scheduled for Tuesday. Unless the victim’s family accepts compensation and grants a pardon, the sentence is expected to be carried out. The situation remains tense, but backchannel efforts for a last-minute reprieve are still ongoing.
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