Nimisha Priya case: What Yemen documents reveal about trial

When the president of the Supreme Political Council of Yemen gave the final ratification to the death sentence of Indian national Nimisha Priya in December 2024, the order appeared decisive, unambiguous, and final.

It upheld her conviction for the 2017 murder of Yemeni businessman Talal Abdo Mahdi Al-Adini, and ordered that she be executed by the firing squad.

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Official order translation

“The final and irrevocable decision issued by the Supreme Court, Criminal Division, Panel C No. 88, dated 16/03/1445 AH (corresponding to 10/11/2023), has been ratified — sentencing the convict, Nimisha Abu Bakr Younis (named after her ex-husband, Nimisha Priya Tomy Thomas, of Indian nationality), to death by firing squad for the premeditated and aggressive murder of the victim, Talal Abdo Mahdi Al-Adini (Al Wasabi). The execution is to be carried out as retaliatory and discretionary punishment in the vicinity of the victim’s neighbourhood,” read a loose translation of the original Arabic order.

It remains the only publicly available document accessible to us in India that outlines both the crime and the punishment in a case that has triggered diplomatic and spiritual interventions, grassroots mobilisations, and an increasingly polarised social media discourse.

And from the limited details it does offer a troubling picture that is beginning to take shape.

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One-sided legal process

The ratification order and subsequent executive documents list her name as Nimisha Abu Bakr Younis, or Nimisha Bakr Thomas — reflecting the unquestioned acceptance of the victim’s family’s version of events only.

There is a complete absence of any reference to mitigating the circumstances or defence arguments, suggesting that her side of the story was neither heard nor considered during the legal process.

It suggests a legal process in which Nimisha Priya, a foreign national unfamiliar with the language, customs, and legal protocols of Yemen, was left to face one of the most serious charges imaginable without meaningful legal support or diplomatic oversight.

There is no indication in the document that her account of events was ever formally recorded or considered, nor is there any suggestion that cultural or situational context, such as her claims of abuse or entrapment, was factored into the proceedings.

Also Read: Nimisha Priya case: Want God's law to be enforced, says victim's brother

Limited documents secured

Neither Nimisha Priya’s family in Kerala nor the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council had access to any of the documents related to her trial in Yemen.

It was only much later, when her execution date was set, that things began to move, thanks to the intervention of Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar. His team managed to secure a few documents from Yemeni authorities, but these were all executive orders.

They mainly confirmed that the victim’s family had refused pardon for diyya (blood money), submitted a memorandum urging speedy execution, and that the final order was for her to be executed by firing squad in public, near the victim’s hometown, on July 16, which was later frozen after the intervention of Sufi scholar Sheikh Habib Umar Hafiz.

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Surname confusion

“We also noticed the issue with the name Abu Bakr Younis being used as Nimisha Priya's surname and were wondering what it was about. Even if we go by the story that she was married to Talal Mahdi, neither his first name nor his family name matches the one attached to Nimisha in the ratification order, which identifies her as ‘Abu Bakr Younis,” said Javad Mustafawy, a disciple of both Sheikh Habib and Kanthapuram, who is privy to the details of the negotiations.

According to her family and the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, this is emblematic of the ordeal she has faced since her arrest in 2017.

A trained nurse from Kerala, Nimisha first travelled to Yemen in 2008 for work. She returned to India in 2011 to marry Tomy Thomas, a daily wage labourer from Idukki.

He accompanied her to Yemen, where the couple lived until 2014. When civil war broke out, Tomy returned to India and was unable to go back. The two were never divorced, her family insists — contrary to what appears to have been accepted by the Yemeni court.

False marriage claim

Sometime after 2014, Nimisha came into contact with Talal, who, according to her family, initially supported her as a sponsor in setting up a clinic and later became her business partner.

They allege that during this period, she may have signed several documents written in Arabic — a language she does not understand — trusting Talal Abdo Mahdi without fully knowing their content.

The family further says that he took possession of her passport and other documents, preventing her from returning home. At one stage, he even visited Kerala and spent time with both Nimisha and Tomy, according to photographs and testimonies.

The family alleges that Talal had produced false documents purporting to show he was married to her when she made formal complaints against him. The name anomaly makes it clear that this claim was accepted by the court without any real scrutiny during the murder trial as well.

Also Read: Yemen postpones execution of Nimisha Priya amid intense efforts by Grand Mufti of India

Language barrier

The incident that led to her arrest took place in 2017. According to her family, Nimisha, along with a Yemeni nurse, tried to sedate Talal in an attempt to recover her documents and escape.

But the plan went horribly wrong when Talal reportedly died of an overdose. Media reports state that the body, later found in a water tank in a building, had been dismembered.

According to Nimisha Priya’s account, she had nothing to do with dismembering the body of Talal. She says she fled the scene in panic. However, her Yemeni accomplice, a local nurse, is currently serving life sentence specifically for that crime.

Until mid-2020, she was allowed to use a phone from inside prison and remained in contact with some media outlets in Kerala, including The Federal, though only through brief messages and voice notes.

But none of this appears to have been presented or considered during Nimisha’s trial. Her family and supporters say she does not speak Arabic and was entirely dependent on others to navigate the legal system.

Social media polarisation

Now, eight years after her arrest, she remains on death row in Sana’a Central Prison. And while the execution order stands, its implementation only has been temporarily frozen — not by legal appeal, but through informal negotiations brokered by religious leaders.

Yet even this fragile channel of communication has been strained by social media backlash in India.

For a brief period, even the spiritual channel that had enabled the execution freeze seemed to falter. However, over the past few days, quiet efforts have been underway to revive the stalled dialogue.

Sources close to Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar say there are indications that the Mahdi family has begun to better understand the situation in India and may be softening their stance.

Yet, the Union government’s position — that no external actors should be involved in negotiations with the victim’s family — could pose new hurdles in what remains a fragile and time-sensitive process.

Also Read: SC allows Save Nimisha Priya Council to form mediation team for ‘diya’ talks

Time running out

"Kanthapuram Aboobacker Musaliyar is planning to send a letter to the prime minister, outlining what has happened so far and the possible steps ahead. Without the government's support, it will be difficult to move forward," said Mustafawy.

So far, though, Nimisha’s mother Premakumari, who has been in Sana’a for several months, has not been able to establish direct contact with the family.

Meanwhile, the Action Council is preparing to send representatives to Sana’a to support her — pending permission from the Indian government.

The Council warns that time is running out, and the execution process could resume at any moment if the negotiations fall through.

With all legal remedies under Yemeni Shariat law now exhausted, the only remaining path is the acceptance of diyya by the victim’s family. Failing that, Nimisha Priya stands to face the firing squad.