Why Kerala Nurse Nimisha Priya Will Be Executed In Yemen Next Week
Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse from Kerala, will be executed on July 16 in Yemen after she was convicted in the murder of a Yemeni national. Her case has been closely monitored by India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Priya, 38, was sentenced to death by a Yemeni trial court in 2020, a verdict later upheld by the country's Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023. Though there remains a narrow possibility of reprieve through the payment of "blood money" to the victim's family, time is rapidly running out.
Why Is Nimisha Priya Being Hanged?
A timeline of events:
2008 - Move To Yemen
Nimisha Priya moved to Yemen in 2008 to financially support her ageing parents. After working in multiple hospitals, she eventually started her own clinic.
2014 - Partnership With Local Resident
To run her clinic, she partnered with a Yemeni national, Talal Abdo Mahdi, as per Yemeni regulations that require foreign nationals to have a local partner for businesses.
2016 - Fallout
Priya and Mahdi reportedly had a serious fallout. She filed a complaint against him, resulting in his brief arrest. After being released, Mahdi allegedly continued to harass and threaten her.
2017 - Murder
Talal Abdo Mahdi allegedly confiscated her passport, curtailing her move from out of the country. According to her family, Nimisha Priya allegedly injected Mahdi with sedatives in an attempt to retrieve the document.
The dose proved fatal, leading to his death in 2017. Priya was arrested while attempting to flee Yemen.
2018 - Convicted Of Murder
She was convicted of murder in 2018.
2020 - Death Sentence
The trial court sentenced Nimisha Priya to death in 2020.
2023 - Supreme Court Upholds Sentence
In November 2023, the Supreme Judicial Council of Yemen upheld her death sentence. Later that year, Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi gave final approval.
Though Yemeni law allows for clemency through diya (blood money), efforts to reach a settlement with the victim's family fell apart in September 2024. The lawyer appointed by the Indian Embassy demanded a pre-negotiation fee, which stalled the talks. Besides, concerns over the management of funds raised for the purpose slowed down the process.
2024-2025 - Final Pleas
Priya's mother, Prema Kumari, a domestic worker from Kochi, sold her house and travelled to Yemen to plead for her daughter's life. Despite crowdfunding and efforts by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, the victim's family has not accepted the offer of blood money.
Nimisha's fate depends entirely on the willingness of the victim's family to accept diya, the only legal alternative to capital punishment under Yemeni law.
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