Last-ditch efforts are underway to prevent the execution of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya in Yemen. Hope for negotiations on blood money has arisen through mediation by Sunni and Sufi leaders.
Nimisha Priya Case: The execution of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya is scheduled for July 16th. However, efforts by several religious and social leaders in India and Yemen are now showing a glimmer of hope. In this entire case, blood money, that is, providing financial compensation to the family of the deceased, is considered the last option to save Nimisha's life.
Who is Nimisha Priya and What is the Whole Case?
Nimisha Priya is a nurse from the Palakkad district of Kerala. In 2017, while working in Yemen, she was accused of murdering her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi. The court sentenced her to death in 2020. Her final appeal was also rejected in 2023. She is currently imprisoned in Sana'a jail, and her execution is scheduled for July 16, 2025.
Hope Emerges Through the Initiatives of Kanthapuram and Sheikh Habib
New direction is emerging thanks to the efforts of Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar, a prominent Sunni Muslim leader from India, and Sheikh Habib Umar bin Hafiz, a famous Sufi scholar from Yemen. At their initiative, contact has been made with the religious and social leadership of Yemen. The biggest success has been that, for the first time, the family of the deceased, Talal, has been persuaded to negotiate.
Important Meeting on Tuesday, a Big Decision May Be Taken
A meeting between the representative of Sheikh Habib and Talal's family is proposed for Tuesday at 10 am in Dhamar city, Yemen. A close relative of the deceased, who is also the Chief Justice of the Hodeidah State Court and a member of the Yemeni Shura Council, will also participate in this meeting. According to sources, this representative has a b influence in the Yemeni administration and religious society and has requested that the sentence be postponed.
Negotiations on Blood Money, This is the Last Option
According to Yemeni Sharia law, if the family of the deceased in a murder case pardons the accused after receiving blood money, the death sentence can be stopped. Negotiations are now underway on this option. Until now, the family of the deceased was not ready to negotiate. But after the recommendations of Kanthapuram and Sheikh Habib, consent has now been given for negotiations. This is considered a significant achievement.
Diplomatic Efforts of Dr. K. A. Paul Also Worked
Dr. K. A. Paul, the founder of the US-based social organizations GPI (Global Peace Initiative) and GUM (Gospel to the Unreached Millions), is also active in this mission. He has held five important meetings with the Houthi leaders and government officials in Yemen. He claims that due to this pressure and cooperation, the family of the deceased is now considering pardoning her. He has called it a divine miracle and appealed to people to pray.
