In a major relief to Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, Yemeni authorities' death sentence against her on murder charges has been revoked, said the office of Indian Grand Mufti Kanthapuram AP Abubakker Muslaiyar, news agency ANI reported.
This follows her execution, initially set to take place on July 16, being temporarily stopped just a day prior, following an intervention by Grand Mufti AP Abubakker Muslaiyar who asked Yemeni authorities to reconsider.
Now, his office says, that her death sentence has been cancelled completely following a high-level meeting in Yemeni capital Sanaa. “The death sentence of Nimisha Priya, which was previously suspended, has been overturned. A high-level meeting held in Sanaa decided to completely cancel the death sentence that was temporarily suspended earlier,” ANI quoted his office as saying.
Priya's family, comprising her 13-year-old daughter Mishel and husband Thomas, arrived in Yemen to join Indian Christian evangelist KA Paul to appeal Houthi authorities to free Priya.
In a video, shared by news agency PTI, Mishel can be heard saying “I love you, mamma,” as she speaks in Malayalam and English. Her speech is not legible.
Earlier last week, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that it is offering all support to Nimisha Priya and her family and that the Indian government is in contact with "friendly governments", perhaps to assist in the case.
Indian Grand Mufti Kanthapuram AP Abubakker Muslaiyar was instrumental in getting temporary reprieve of Nimisha Priya's execution, scheduled for July 16 initially.
In a statement, the Grand Mufti had stated that he intervened because India's diplomatic efforts in Yemen were limited, which was one of the main obstacles in the case.
"India has, in the past, seen positive outcomes from similar interventions in Gulf countries and beyond. Given that Yemen is a region with which India presently has limited diplomatic engagement, I felt that such an effort is indeed required of us," he had said.
Nimisha Priya was found guilty in 2020 for the murder of Yemeni citizen Talal Abdo Mahdi in July 2017. In 2023, her sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Judicial Council of the Houthis, where they rejected her bail plea. She was sentenced to death and was scheduled to be executed on July 16, 2025.
