Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala convicted of murdering a Yemeni national, is scheduled to be executed on July 16 at Sana’a Central Prison, according to Yemeni prison authorities. With time running out her family and supporters are making last-ditch efforts to secure a pardon through ‘blood money’ (diya), a provision under Islamic Sharia law that allows victims’ families to forgive offenders in exchange for financial compensation. The Supreme Court of India is set to hear the case again on July 18, but the Centre has told the court it has no diplomatic leverage over Yemen’s Houthi authorities and that blood money remains the only route to save her life.
