Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has made an urgent appeal to External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar to intervene in the case of Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse facing imminent execution in Yemen.
Taking to social media, Mufti highlighted that Nimisha was allegedly subjected to severe abuse and that the man who died was killed in an act of self-defense.
“Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse, is facing execution in Yemen on 16th July. She was allegedly subjected to severe abuse and in an attempt to defend herself a man died. Nimisha now faces the death penalty. As per Yemeni law, clemency is possible only through blood money,” Mufti posted on X, tagging the External Affairs Minister.
“Request @DrSJaishankar to intervene immediately. Unfortunately, till now the required funds and diplomatic pressure are both inadequate. Urgently appeal to everyone, especially women, to donate generously,” she wrote.
Nimisha Priya, 38, a nurse from Kerala, was convicted in 2018 for the murder of Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mehdi, with whom she had been operating a clinic. According to reports, Nimisha endured prolonged mental, physical, and financial abuse, circumstances that allegedly drove her to commit the act. She was arrested in 2017 and sentenced to death by a Yemeni trial court. The verdict was upheld by the country’s Supreme Court and ratified by President Rashad al-Alimi in 2024.
The execution is scheduled for July 16, with Yemen’s public prosecutor having already issued formal instructions to the prison authorities. Samuel Jerome Baskaran, a social worker involved in last-ditch negotiations, confirmed the date in a statement to *The Indian Express*. “The date has been fixed, but options are still open. The Indian government can step in to help save her life,” he said.
Baskaran added that an offer for pardon was presented to the deceased’s family, but there has been no response so far. He is currently traveling to Yemen to continue discussions in hopes of securing clemency through blood money — the only legal route to halt the execution under Yemeni law.
Nimisha’s mother, Prema Kumari, a domestic worker from Kochi, has been in Yemen for over a year, relentlessly advocating for her daughter. With support from the Delhi High Court, she was able to visit her daughter in prison late last year.
