New twist in Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya’s execution in Yemen, her counsel makes big statement

Nimisha Priya execution: The execution of Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse on death row in Yemen, has been postponed by Yemeni authorities, sources said on Tuesday. The execution was scheduled for Wednesday. The government has been successful in convincing the victim’s family to postpone the execution at least for tomorrow, it has emerged. But it does not mean Priya would be released or sent back to India.

Priya, hailing from Kollengode in Kerala’s Palakkad district, has been found guilty of murdering a Yemeni citizen in July, 2017. It has been learnt that the local authorities in Yemen have postponed the execution scheduled for July 16, the sources said.

What is the case?

Priya was found guilty of murdering a Yemeni man also her business partner in July 2017. In 2020, a Yemeni court handed her the death sentence, and the country’s Supreme Judicial Council dismissed her appeal in November 2023. The 38-year-old nurse is presently lodged in a jail in Sana’a, the Yemeni capital city that is under the control of Iran-backed Houthis.

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea seeking a direction to the Centre to use diplomatic channels to save the Indian nurse. A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi listed the matter for hearing on July 14 after advocate Subhash Chandran KR said diplomatic channels need to be explored at the earliest.

What the law says?

Yemen’s legal system, based on Sharia law, allows the death penalty to be waived if the victim’s family accepts compensation, known as diyah or blood money and chooses to forgive the offender. Such pardons can legally be granted up until the final moments before the execution.

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