Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse from Kerala, convicted of murdering a Yemeni citizen in 2017, is set to be executed in Yemen on July 16.

The Save Nimisha Priya Action Council said that Yemen’s director general of prosecution has informed the prison authorities to proceed with the execution.

This comes even as efforts are ongoing to negotiate with the victim’s family and reach a settlement through “blood money”, a provision under Yemen’s Sharia law that allows a victim’s family to pardon a convict in exchange for compensation.

According to the Action Council, they have offered USD 1 million (approximately Rs 8.5 crore) to the family of the victim, Talal Abdo Mahdi, but are yet to receive a response regarding the expected amount. Council members said they will make another attempt to contact the family in the next two days to avoid the execution.

Nimisha, who had been working in Yemen since 2008, was sentenced to death in 2020. On December 30, 2024, Yemeni President Rashad Al-Alimi officially approved the sentence.

According to the council and earlier reports, Nimisha opened a clinic in 2015 with the help of Talal, whose support was legally required to run a business in Yemen. She later accused him of physically abusing her and confiscating her passport. In 2017, she allegedly injected him with a sedative, leading to his death.

In a similar case from Saudi Arabia, Kozhikode-native Abdul Rahim was released after spending years in jail for killing a Saudi boy when the victim’s family accepted Rs 34 crore as blood money.

With time running out, Nimisha’s supporters continue to push for negotiations in hopes of securing a last-minute reprieve.