New Delhi (The Stellar News), Sadhika Jain: The death sentence of Kerala Nurse Nimisha Priya residing in Yemen, convicted in 2017 murder case of Talal Abdo Mahdi . Earlier, the authorities in Yemen postponed Priya’s execution after diplomatic interventions.The death sentence which was previously suspended, now has been overturned. A high-level meeting held in Sanaa decided to completely cancel the death sentence that was temporarily suspended .
Nimisha Priya, a 38-year-old from Palakkad district in Kerala, moved to Yemen in 2008 in search of better job opportunities. A qualified nurse, who later partnered with a Yemeni citizen, Talal Abdo Mahdi, to co-manage a clinic in the capital, Sanaa. However, their relationship reportedly went down the drain when Mahdi began harassing her and falsely claimed to be her husband,took possession of her passport, effectively preventing her from returning to India.
Nimisha allegedly overdosed Mahdi with drugs only to Sedate him but it led to his death .She dismembered Mahdi’s body and hid the remains in a water tank before attempting to flee. She was arrested near Yemen’s border with Saudi Arabia about a month later , she was Convicted for Murder in 2018 and was sentenced to death by Yemeni court in 2020.
The Indian government and several religious leaders, including Grand Mufti Abu Bakar Ahmad, intervened in the case. Yemen’s Houthi authorities had earlier suspended the sentence.
Her case drew international attention, especially after Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi and Houthi leader Mahdi al-Mashat approved the execution in late 2024 and early 2025. However, the execution was put on hold following continued diplomatic efforts by the Indian government and interventions from religious leaders.
