'Comforting, Hopeful': CM Vijayan On Postponement Order Of Kerala Nurse's Execution In Yemen

Last Updated:July 15, 2025, 17:43 IST

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan called the postponement of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya's execution in Yemen "comforting and hopeful," praising Kanthapuram and the Action Council.

Nimisha Priya is on the death row for the murder of Mahdi, her Yemeni business partner. (News18 Malayalam)

Following the postponement of execution of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya in Yemen, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan termed the decision as “comforting and hopeful ." Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also congratulated Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar, an influential Sunni Muslim leader, and the action council over the latest development in the case.

The Kerala CM said the news of the execution of Nimisha Priya, who was sentenced to death in Yemen, being postponed is “comforting and hopeful."

“This has given Nimisha more time to get her sentence terminated. This decision was led to by the initiative and intervention of Kanthapuram AP Abubacker Musliyar, " the CM said in a statement.

“This decision is the result of the tireless efforts of good hearts full of humanity and brotherhood. I congratulate Kanthapuram and everyone including the Action Council who are working hard to get justice for Nimisha Priya," her added.

The Chief Minister also said that he hopes that “everyone’s hopes and efforts will reach complete success as soon as possible."

Earlier, the nurse was scheduled to be executed in Yemen on July 16. However, the fresh date for her execution was not immediately known.

The government of India, which has, since the beginning of the case, been rendering all possible assistance in the matter, has made efforts in recent days to seek more time for the family of Nimisha Priya to reach a mutually agreeable solution with the other party.

Hailing from Kerala’s Palakkad district, Nimisha Priya is on the death row for the murder of Mahdi, her Yemeni business partner. She was sentenced to death in 2020, and her final appeal was rejected in 2023.

She is currently imprisoned in a jail in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen.

Earlier in the day, news agency PTI quoted sources and stated that last-minute efforts to halt Nimisha Priya’s execution were underway, under the leadership of a Sufi scholar there, at the behest of influential Sunni Muslim leader Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar.

A meeting between representatives of prominent scholar and Sufi leader Sheikh Habib Umar bin Hafiz, and the family of Talal Abdo Mahdi – the Yemeni national allegedly killed by Nimisha Priya in 2017, was also expected to be held at Dhamar on Tuesday, it mentioned.

Manisha Roy

Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com's general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manisha.Roy@nw18...Read More

Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com's general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manisha.Roy@nw18...

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Location :

Kerala, India, India

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News india 'Comforting, Hopeful': CM Vijayan On Postponement Order Of Kerala Nurse's Execution In Yemen