Priya had been on a death row in Yemen since 2020 after she was convicted of the murder of Yemeni native Talal Abdo Mahdi.
Published Jul 29, 2025 | 8:12 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 29, 2025 | 10:27 AM
Nimisha Priya. (Sourced)
Synopsis: In a significant development in the Nimisha Priya case, the office of Kanthapuram AP Abubacker Musliyar confirmed an agreement to revoke her death sentence. Mediation efforts are expected to continue in the coming days as all parties work toward a final decision.
In a significant development in the Nimisha Priya case, the office of Kanthapuram AP Abubacker Musliyar (officially, Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad) announced on Monday, 28 July, that key decisions have been made following high-level mediation efforts.
Among the most notable outcomes is an agreement to revoke her death sentence, with further decisions to be taken through ongoing discussions.
Priya, a Kerala-based nurse, had been on a death row in Yemen since 2020 after she was convicted of the murder of Yemeni native Talal Abdo Mahdi.
However, sources in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the reports claiming the cancellation of Priya’s death sentence are not true. They called the reports “inaccurate.”
The breakthrough came during a series of mediation talks involving a delegation of Yemeni scholars appointed by Sheikh Umar Hafeez Thangal at the request of Kanthapuram, the Grand Mufti of India. The negotiations also included officials from Northern Yemen and representatives from the international diplomatic community.
Meanwhile, thirteen-year-old Michelle, daughter of Priya, reached Yemen on Monday along with her father, Tommy Thomas, and Global Peace Initiative founder Dr KA Paul.
According to sources close to the talks, her release will depend on the outcome of further discussions with the family of the deceased Yemeni national, Talal.
This progress follows the earlier postponement of Priya’s scheduled execution on 16 July, following direct intervention by Kanthapuram. Mediation efforts are expected to continue in the coming days as all parties work toward a final decision.
Michelle, who hasn’t seen her mother in ten years, made an emotional plea in Malayalam and English, asking for her mother’s release, saying, “I love my mother very much. I miss her. Please help bring her back.”
When South First contacted Advocate Subhash Chandran from the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council, he said, “We can trust the information coming from Kanthapuram’s office, as they are actively coordinating efforts on the ground.”
They are reportedly in discussions with Talal’s father and other family members, and according to Kanthapuram’s team, the family has agreed to pardon Nimisha.
According to Yemeni law, it is the legal heirs of the deceased, primarily the children and parents, who have the authority to make such decisions. A brother can only take that role if the parents and children are no longer alive. Since the immediate family members are alive, their decision holds legal weight.
Earlier, Talal’s brother, Abdul Fattah Mahdi, in a Facebook post, denied forgiving Nimisha and questioned which Yemeni organisation Kanthapuram had engaged with.
“The central government has not been involved in these discussions, and the MEA has not responded to the delegation’s request to travel to Yemen. However, the mediators remain hopeful, and we are relying on that hope,” Chandran said.
Priya was convicted in 2017 for the murder of Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi and was sentenced to death in 2020.
Her only chance for clemency lies in securing forgiveness from the victim’s family — a process known as blood money or diya —a step that has not yet materialised, despite earlier attempts by her mother, Premakumari, to negotiate.
Priya has maintained that Talal, who had offered to help her start a clinic, took her passport and subjected her to severe abuse, leading to the tragic incident.
Priya was arrested at the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border in August 2017. A month earlier, she had dosed Yemeni national Mahdi Talal 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.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Sreelakshmi Soman.)
