Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala imprisoned in Yemen, was sentenced to death for the murder of business partner Talal Abdo Mahdi. However, the execution scheduled for July 16 has been temporarily stayed. This decision by Yemeni authorities has provided some relief to her mother, husband, and other relatives in India.
The execution sentence of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya in Yemen has currently been halted. It is reported that this decision was made because no final decision has been reached regarding blood money between Nimisha's family and Talal Abdo Mahdi's family. In 2017, Nimisha was accused of murdering her business partner Talal Abdo Mahdi. According to Nimisha, Talal confiscated her passport,
She was subjected to physical and mental harassment and embezzled the earnings of a clinic established in Yemen in 2015. Consequently, for self-defense and to retrieve her documents, Nimisha administered an anesthetic injection to Talal, but due to an overdose, he died. Subsequently, she dismembered Talal's body and hid it in a water tank. In this case, Nimisha was arrested at the Yemen-Saudi border and in 2018, a Yemeni court sentenced her to death. According to this, she was to be executed on July 16, 2025. However, under Sharia law in Yemen, there is a provision for 'Diyah' or blood money, through which the victim's family can forgive the guilty. Accordingly, Nimisha's family began discussions with Talal's family. Currently, the 'Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council' is actively participating in raising funds for blood money and in discussions.
India's prominent religious leader and Kerala's Grand Mufti of Kanthapuram, Abubakar Musliyar, has also directly intervened in this matter. Nimisha's family and supporters have offered Talal's family 10 million US dollars (approximately 85 million rupees), but no agreement has been reached yet. Forgiveness through blood money is the last way to save Nimisha. Only if Talal's family is willing to forgive can the death penalty be avoided. The first discussion between the two families was positive, which has temporarily avoided the death penalty. However, the family of the deceased Talal Abdo Mahdi has not yet fully agreed to forgive Nimisha or accept the blood money, so the hope of saving her life remains uncertain.