Nimisha Priya, a 36-year-old nurse from Kerala who was also supposed to be executed in Yemen tomorrow, has had her execution delayed. She has been in jail in Yemen since she was found guilty of killing a man named Talal Abdo Mahdi, who was her business partner.

Nimisha went to Yemen in 2008 for work. She had a serious dispute with Mahdi and gave him an injection to get her passport back from him. But he died from an overdose. She was later accused of murdering him and disposing of his body with the help of another nurse.

Nimisha was sentenced to death in 2020, and her final appeal was rejected in 2023. In January 2024, Yemen’s top leader approved her execution. Under Yemen’s Sharia law, Nimisha can avoid the death sentence only if the victim’s family forgives her and accepts “blood money” (a financial settlement). Her team has offered $1 million (around ₹8 crore) as compensation.

The Indian government has been trying hard to help her. Officials have been in regular contact with the jail in Sanaa, Yemen. A well-known Muslim leader from India, Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, also stepped in to talk to the victim’s family.

A meeting was held today in a city called Dhamar in Yemen. It was led by a respected Yemeni religious leader, Sheikh Habib Umar bin Hafiz. After these efforts, the victim’s family agreed to continue talks. On Monday, the Indian government told the Supreme Court that it is doing whatever it can, mostly through private efforts and talks with Yemeni leaders. For now, Nimisha’s execution has been stopped to give more time for her family and legal team to reach a settlement with the victim’s family and possibly save her life.