After unverified execution reports surfaced in late June 2025, Samuel Jerome claimed a sponsor was ready with $1 million, while another council member pushed for crowdfunding. But the victim's family hasn't confirmed or accepted any amount.
Published Jul 10, 2025 | 12:54 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 10, 2025 | 1:35 PM
Unverified reports hinder real efforts to save Nimisha Priya.
Synopsis: Even as unverified reports said Nimisha Priya would be executed on 16 July, her family is hopeful of seeing her back home in Kerala. Meanwhile, the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council petitioned the Supreme Court to issue a directive to the Union government to intervene in the matter.
Amidst uncertainty over the fate of Nimisha Priya, a Malayali nurse on death row in a Yemeni prison, her family back home in Kerala is hopeful of the woman securing freedom.
Unverified reports said she would be executed on 16 July, but her husband, Tomy Thomas, and the nurse’s mother, Premakumari, are unaware of any such move by the Yemeni authorities.
Incidentally, the reports are based on a statement by a local lawyer of Indian origin, Samuel Jerome. However, he did not reveal how he received the information.
”She will come home soon. You have no idea how hard it is to hide the unconfirmed news reports from our school-going daughter. Just weeks ago, she spoke to her mother… full of hope. Do you know why I’ve stayed away from TV debates? Because I know the truth. We still believe, deeply, that she will return,” Thomas told South First.
The media reports, too, did not mention any authentic source.
“For us, it’s not a report. It’s our life. Our fight to bring her back,” Thomas added, even as sensational headlines spoke of her imminent execution and claims of million-dollar compensation packages.
(From left) Samuel Jerome, Adv. Subhash Chandran, Premakumari, Tomy, and Nimisha Priya’s daughter
Meanwhile, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court to stall the execution of Priya.
When South First contacted Premakumari, she sounded unaware of any of the media discussions. She has been in Yemen since April 2024 with Jerome.
”Samuel sir left Yemen in February 2025 for Tamil Nadu because his mother was unwell. I don’t know anything,” she said.
Jerome returned to Yemen on the night of 8 July—the same day the report of Nimisha’s execution date emerged. It was he who informed the media, without providing a single official document from Yemeni jail authorities.
The contradictions began with claims about blood money. Jerome said a sponsor is ready to raise $1 million and that the offer still stands. Yet another Action Council member, Adv. Deepa Joseph spoke to the media about crowdfunding.
If a sponsor exists, why is crowdfunding needed? What happened to the $48,000 already raised earlier? What were the outcomes of previous negotiations? Moreover, there has been no official clarification from the victim Talal Abdo Mahdi’s family on whether they are willing to accept the blood money and pardon Nimisha.
Priya was arrested at the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border in August 2017. A month earlier, she had dosed Yemeni national Mahdi with ketamine in a claimed bid to sedate him and retrieve her passport from his possession.
Priya’s act killed Mahdi from a ketamine overdose. Panicked, she sought the help of another nurse, cut up the man’s body, and tossed it into a water tank.
A year before the incident, Priya had approached the Yemeni police. She complained that Mahdi was abusing and torturing her. Nothing happened.
K Subhash Chandran, the lawyer representing the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, flagged serious contradictions.
Chandran had in April 2023 secured the Delhi High Court’s permission to send Nimisha’s mother to Yemen.
”After unverified execution reports surfaced in late June 2025, Samuel Jerome claimed a sponsor was ready with $1 million, while another council member pushed for crowdfunding. But Talal’s family hasn’t confirmed or accepted any amount. So why demand another crowdfunding campaign?” Chandran asked.
He pointed to the earlier $48,000 raised as a ‘negotiation fee.’
”Jerome demanded $40,000 initially. We paid $20,000 in August 2024 and sent Nimisha’s mother to Yemen. But there were no updates. In December 2024, we were pressured to send the remaining $20,000, despite internal disagreements,” he told South First.
The second payment was completed on 27 December 2024. On 28 December, Jerome left the council’s WhatsApp group. On 30 December, he told the media that the Yemeni president had approved Nimisha’s death sentence—a claim the Yemen Embassy later denied.
“After almost seven months of silence, Jerome suddenly emerges with ‘news’ that Nimisha Priya will be executed on 16 July. He claims to have informed the Indian Embassy, saying that they had confirmed the report,” the lawyer said.
But when the Action Council contacted the embassy, they denied any confirmation of such a report. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also confirmed they have not received such an update.
“We’re not the only ones. Senior journalists and Members of Parliament from Kerala have also reached out to MEA and received the same answer — no confirmation,” he said.
So, where is this information coming from? Why is such unverified news being floated? And more importantly, why is there an attempt to set the stage for another round of crowdfunding? All of this raises serious concerns.
“Those who are working closely with us in efforts to save Nimisha still believe there is hope. And so do we. But yes, we are observing these developments with concern. The contradictions are unbelievable and deeply troubling,” Chandran said.
There is also no clarity on the previously raised funds. “We have no update on how it was used. The victim’s family hasn’t received a single penny, nor have they officially demanded any compensation so far,” he added.
“We’ve seen similar cases before. Take the case of Abdul Rahim from Kozhikode — ₹34 crore was raised through crowdfunding and transferred as blood money. Yet he remains in jail, and investigations are still ongoing into the handling of that money by Indian and Saudi authorities. These cases are legally and diplomatically complex,” Chandran pointed out.
In Yemen, it is even more difficult. There is no properly functioning government. The crime for which Priya was convicted occurred in northern Yemen, an area under Houthi control. India does not have formal diplomatic relations with the Houthis, making negotiations even more challenging.
“People like Jerome and Deepa continue to appear in the media under the banner of the Action Council, but we, who are working directly on the ground, have not authorised or requested any new fundraising efforts. We are still waiting for an official confirmation from the Indian government,” he added.
When asked about the need for Priya’s mother to remain in Yemen, Chandran said they had earlier requested negotiator Jerome to send her back before he left Yemen in February.
”She is staying there alone. Jerome locked the doors from outside, handed over the key to a neighbour, and provided her with basic groceries. We believe he is keeping her there to add authenticity and credibility to his claims, creating drama around the case. She already met Nimisha in jail, and it’s high time to bring her back,” Chandran said.
He added that Jerome was never seen as an official channel by the council, but unfortunately, he became the sole point of contact only because he was the only Indian permitted by the government to stay in Yemen, due to his long-term residence there.
”The MEA permitted him to stay not as part of the Save Nimisha Priya effort, but as someone who has been living there for decades. In Yemen, there is no active Indian diaspora. While around 1,000 Indians are living there, most cannot come into public view since they stayed back without prior permission, which, as per Indian policy since 2016, can result in passport confiscation and affect their livelihood,” he explained.
Chandran also clarified that Jerome was never involved in talks with the Houthi rebels and that the council had established a separate channel through Yemeni community leaders with connections with the Houthis.
”After cutting ties with Jerome, we opened a parallel route through the UK. They still express hope. So, we don’t understand why he is spreading panic without proof,” he added.
Action Council’s treasurer, Kunhammed Koorachund, told South First they had doubts about the so-called pre-negotiation fee demanded by Jerome.
”But we didn’t want to take any risk with Nimisha’s life, so we tried to cooperate. However, we asked for basic transparency—bills for expenses and at least a photo with Talal’s family as proof of negotiation. He didn’t agree to any of it,” he said.
According to him, no proper negotiation has taken place because the victim’s family hasn’t yet indicated an amount as blood money.
”Now, Advocate Deepa from Delhi and Jerome seem to be working together. After a long silence, he suddenly claims Nimisha will be executed. We contacted the Yemen consulate in Mumbai and the Yemen embassy in Saudi Arabia—both said they were unaware of any such execution date. These calls for crowdfunding now seem like pure manipulation,” he added.
Speaking about Nimisha’s mother, he said they were able to send her to Yemen only after a hard-fought legal battle led by Chandran in the Delhi High Court.
“Two months later, Jerome made serious allegations against her in a common WhatsApp group and then left the group. Now he refuses to send her back. She’s under house arrest and can’t freely communicate with us. Her WhatsApp calls and messages are monitored. Even Nimisha knows the reality, but she’s helpless in jail,” he said.
Another Action Council member, Jabir Maliyekkal, who has been coordinating efforts from Muscat, told South First that in the Yemen-Oman region, traditional negotiation processes are led by community elders—Sheikhs, Nadims, and Nawabs*—who act as regional leaders or mediators. He explained that they lead and finalise discussions in sensitive cases.
The heartless spread of unconfirmed news is shattering the quiet hope of a girl child, who waits each day for her mother and grandmother to return home, with a box of sweets in hand. She dreams of that night when she can finally rest against her mother’s chest, listening to all the stories she’s missed for years.
Live Law on Thursday, 10 July, reported that a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court to stall the execution of Priya.
Senior Advocate Ragenth Basant, assisted by Advocate Chandran, sought an urgent listing of the matter. Under Shariat law, a person can be released if the victim’s family accepts blood money. The petition sought to initiate negotiations to explore the possibility of providing blood money.
The Action Council’s petition also sought a directive to the Union government to secure the nurse’s release.
A bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Joymalya Bagchi posted the matter for 14 July. The Action Council’s lawyer pointed out that since media reports said the execution would be carried out on 16 July, hearing the matter on 14 July would not provide enough time for negotiations.
*Sheikh is a title of respect, often indicating a leader or elder. Nadim refers to a companion or courtier. Nawabs were local rulers or governors.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
