India Offers Full Support After Yemen Sanctions Death Penalty for Kerala Nurse

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has expressed that the Indian government is providing all necessary assistance to Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, whose death sentence was recently sanctioned by Yemen’s President. In a statement, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that the government is exploring all possible options for Priya.

Nimisha Priya was sentenced to death in 2020 for the killing of a Yemeni national. President Rashad al-Alimi approved the death sentence after talks stalled. Her release now depends on the victim’s family and tribal leaders forgiving her.

The execution of Nimisha Priya is set to occur within a month unless her family secures a pardon.

Priya, a native of Kerala’s Palakkad district, was arrested for the alleged murder of Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mehdi in July 2017. She was sentenced to death by a trial court in Sana’a in 2020, and her appeal was rejected by Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023. However, her release could still be possible if the victim’s family and tribal leaders forgive her and accept blood money. Negotiations for this were underway but stalled when Priya’s lawyer demanded a USD 40,000 pre-negotiation fee, which was not paid on time.

Priya’s mother, Prema Kumari, visited Yemen in April 2024 and met her daughter for the first time in 11 years. Since then, she has been working to secure Priya’s release.

What Led to the Death Sentence?

Nimisha Priya moved to Yemen in 2008 and worked in several hospitals before opening her own clinic in 2015, with Talal Abdo Mehdi as her local business partner, as required by Yemeni law. According to her family, a dispute arose when Priya questioned Mehdi about alleged embezzlement. In an attempt to retrieve her passport, allegedly held by Mehdi, Priya reportedly injected him with sedatives to render him unconscious, but an overdose led to his death. Priya was arrested while attempting to flee Yemen.