India Offers Assistance to Kerala Nurse Nimisha Priya Facing Death Sentence in Yemen
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New Delhi, Dec 31 (NationPress) On Tuesday, India declared that it is extending comprehensive assistance to Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala, who has received a death sentence in Yemen for the murder of a Yemeni citizen.
According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, “We are aware of the sentencing of Ms. Nimisha Priya in Yemen. We understand that the family of Ms. Priya is exploring relevant options. The government is extending all possible help in the matter.”
This announcement comes after Yemen's President Rashad al-Alimi approved the death sentence for Nimisha Priya. Reports suggest that her execution could occur within a month, prompting her family to act swiftly in efforts to rescue her.
Nimisha’s mother, Prema Kumari, aged 57, has been tirelessly working to obtain a waiver of the death penalty. Earlier this year, she traveled to Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, to negotiate the payment of diya (blood money) to the victim's family, with the help of the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, an organization of NRI social workers in Yemen.
Nimisha Priya, originally from Kollengode in Kerala's Palakkad district, relocated to Yemen in 2008 to support her parents who worked as daily-wage laborers. She gained experience working in various hospitals before deciding to establish her own clinic. In 2017, a conflict arose with her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, after she allegedly opposed his attempts to misappropriate funds.
Her family claims that Nimisha injected Mahdi with sedatives in an attempt to reclaim her confiscated passport, but a tragic overdose resulted in his death. She was arrested while trying to escape the country and was convicted of murder in 2018.
In 2020, a trial court in Sanaa sentenced her to death, a verdict that was upheld by Yemen's Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023, although it did leave open the possibility for blood money.
This case has garnered significant attention and has raised concerns regarding the treatment of Indian nationals abroad, as Nimisha’s family and supporters persist in their efforts to prevent her execution.
