The death sentence of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya has been completely overturned by authorities in Yemen, according to a statement from the office of the Grand Mufti of India, Kanthapuram AP Abubakar Musliyar.

However, the Grand Mufti’s office noted that it has not yet received official written confirmation from the Yemeni government, and the Union Ministry of External Affairs is also yet to confirm the development.

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“The death sentence of Nimisha Priya, which was previously suspended, has been overturned,” the office said in a statement. “A high-level meeting held in Sanaa decided to completely cancel the death sentence that was temporarily suspended earlier,” Musliyar’s office said as quoted by news agency ANI.

WHAT LED TO NIMISHA PRIYA’S SENTENCE?

Nimisha Priya, a 38-year-old nurse from Kerala’s Palakkad district, moved to Yemen in 2008 in search of better employment opportunities. A member of a Christian family, she later entered into a business partnership with a Yemeni national, Talal Abdo Mahdi, and the two went on to open a clinic in the capital, Sanaa.

Their relationship reportedly soured after Mahdi began harassing her and publicly claimed to be her husband. He also allegedly confiscated her passport, restricting her movement and ability to return to India.

According to Yemeni authorities, Priya attempted to retrieve her passport in 2017 by sedating Mahdi. The incident turned fatal when he died from a suspected drug overdose. She was arrested, tried, and convicted of murder in 2018.

Nimisha’s case has drawn international attention for years. She was sentenced to death by a Yemeni court in 2020. Efforts to save her intensified over the past few months after Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi approved her execution in December 2024. The matter escalated when Houthi leader Mahdi al-Mashat gave his approval for the same in January 2025.

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Published By: Satyam Singh Published On: Jul 29, 2025