An Indian nurse, Nimisha Priya, who has been on death row in Yemen, is facing imminent execution on July 16, according to a coalition of campaigners working to secure her release.
Priya, who hails from Kerala in southern India, was convicted in 2020 of murdering her Yemeni business associate, Talal Abdo Mahdi, whose dismembered remains were found in a water tank in 2017.
She is currently being held at Sanaa Central Prison, in the Yemeni capital.
In a desperate bid to save her, her supporters have reportedly offered $1 million in diyah (blood money) to Mahdi’s family in exchange for a formal pardon, as permitted under Yemen’s Islamic legal framework.
“We are still waiting for their pardon or any other demands,” a spokesperson from the Save Nimisha Priya Council told the BBC.
Babu John, a social activist and member of the council, confirmed the execution date was officially communicated by Yemen’s prosecution authorities.
“We are still trying to save her. But ultimately, the family has to agree to a pardon,” he said.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs told the BBC that efforts are still ongoing to verify the final details surrounding the execution.
Priya moved to Yemen in 2008 to work as a nurse.
After her arrest in 2017, prosecutors accused her of sedating Mahdi with the intent to kill him and then dismembering his body. Priya, now 34, has denied the charges.
Her defence claimed that Mahdi had subjected her to abuse, confiscated her money and passport, and even threatened her life.
Her lawyer said she administered sedatives only to retrieve her passport and had no intention to kill.
In 2023, Yemen’s Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s decision after her family’s appeal was dismissed.
Earlier this year, the execution was authorised by Mahdi al-Mashat, president of the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council.
Her mother, a low-income domestic worker, has been in Yemen since April 2024, trying to save her daughter’s life. She appointed Samuel Jerome, a local social worker, to negotiate with the victim’s family.
The Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council has been raising funds globally, and Mr. Jerome confirmed that $1 million has already been offered as compensation.