Indian nurse Nimisha Priya faces execution next week in Yemen
What's the story
Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse from Kerala, will be executed in Yemen on July 16, multiple reports said. The Yemeni president had approved her death sentence last year after she was convicted of murder. Samuel Jerome, a human rights activist who holds the power of attorney of Priya, told Onmanorama that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has been informed about the date.
Story
Priya moved to Yemen in 2011
He also stated that although negotiations were still ongoing, there was no response from the family of the Yemeni national, who Priya allegedly killed in June 2018. Priya had moved to Yemen in 2011 and initially worked in several hospitals before opening a clinic in 2015, after meeting Talal Abdo Mahdi in 2014, since Yemeni law mandates partnering with a local to start a business.
Fallout
Talal allegedly fabricated documents claiming to have married her
After a falling out with Mahdi, she filed a complaint against him, and he was jailed in 2016. He was later released, after which he continued to threaten her. Talal fabricated documents claiming to have married her and subjected her to physical and emotional torture. He reportedly seized her passport, made threats, and demanded money. In a desperate attempt to flee, Priya tried to drug Talal to reclaim her passport, but he allegedly died of an overdose in the process.
Legal proceedings
Priya's conviction upheld by Yemen's Supreme Judicial Council in 2023
Priya was convicted of murder in 2018, and her conviction was upheld by Yemen's Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023. It, however, left room for a possible respite through "blood money" or compensation for the victim's family. Yemeni law prescribes capital punishment for various offenses, including murder. But talks to negotiate the blood money with the victim's family faced a roadblock after Abdullah Ameer, a lawyer appointed by the Indian Embassy, demanded a pre-negotiation fee of $20,000.
Compensation talks
'Blood money' negotiations have stalled
The MEA provided $19,871, but Ameer insisted on a total fee of $40,000 in two installments before resuming talks. The Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council raised funds for this through crowdfunding but later faced issues regarding the transparency of how the funds were being used. Priya's mother, a house help in Kochi, sold her house to fight the case. She has now appealed for help as time runs out for her daughter's life.
Urgent appeal
Priya's mother appeals for help
"I am deeply grateful to the Indian and Kerala governments...for all support provided so far. But this is my final plea—please help us save her life," she said. The family is facing a debt of ₹60 lakh, which was incurred in 2015 to set up a clinic in Yemen, but it was closed down in 2017. Priya's husband, Thomas, is a daily wage laborer and driver.