Nimisha Priya case: Yemen cancels death sentence of Indian nurse, claims Grand Mufti’s office

In a big relief for Nimisha Priya, the Indian nurse who was facing the death penalty in Yemen, her death sentence has now been officially cancelled. This good news was shared by the office of Indian Grand Mufti Kanthapuram AP Abubakker Musliyar. “The death sentence of Nimisha Priya, which was previously suspended, has now been completely cancelled,” read a statement from the Grand Mufti’s office.

This comes after her execution, which was originally scheduled to happen on July 16, was halted temporarily just a day earlier, after Grand Mufti AP Abubakker Muslaiyar intervened and requested Yemeni authorities to reconsider.

This decision was reportedly made during a high-level meeting in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. India’s Attorney General R Venkataramani, speaking in the Supreme Court, said that efforts are ongoing to bring Nimisha back home safely. The court, which is hearing a request for stronger diplomatic steps, has scheduled the next hearing for August 14.

What is Nimisha Priya’s issue?

Nimisha Priya, a 37-year-old trained nurse from Kerala, went to Yemen in search of work. In 2015, she teamed up with a local man, Talal Abdo Mahdi, to start a clinic, since foreigners aren’t allowed to own businesses there on their own.

Mahdi reportedly misused a wedding photo taken during a visit to India to falsely claim he was married to Nimisha. He took control of the clinic and began forcing her to hand over her monthly earnings. According to her family, he abused her in many ways, including physical torture, drugging her, and taking her passport so she couldn’t leave Yemen.

When Nimisha turned to the police for help, she was briefly jailed instead of being protected. Desperate to escape, she allegedly tried to sedate Mahdi to get her passport back. But the dose turned out to be too strong, and Mahdi died leading to her arrest and a murder conviction.

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