$10 million plea fails: Will Nimisha Priya be spared in eleventh hour?

Sanaa: The execution of Malayali nurse Nimisha Priya, currently imprisoned in Yemen for the murder of a Yemeni national, is scheduled for July 16. Prison authorities in Sanaa have reportedly received an official order from the public prosecution to carry out the death sentence.

Yemeni human rights activist Samuel Jerome confirmed that efforts are still underway to prevent the execution through the payment of money. The victim’s family has reportedly been offered $1 million, but disagreement among the family members continues to be a hurdle, as Yemeni law requires unanimous consent for a pardon in murder cases.

Nimisha Priya has been in jail since 2017 after being convicted of murdering her former business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi. She was sentenced to death in 2018, and the verdict was later upheld by Yemen’s Supreme Court.

Earlier reports had suggested that Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi had signed on her execution, but this was later denied by the Yemeni Embassy in India.

Nimisha’s mother, Premakumari, had previously travelled to Yemen in an effort to secure her daughter’s release through negotiations.