Who is Nimisha Priya, the Kerala nurse facing death sentence in Yemen?

New Delhi: The Indian government said it is extending all help in the matter of Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse who has been sentenced to death in Yemen for murder.

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement:

“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.”

The statement comes following reports that Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi on Monday approved the death sentence for Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala, who was convicted of murder in Yemen.

The execution of the sentence will take place in a month's time.

Nimisha Priya is on death row in Yemen after being convicted of murdering a Yemeni man, Talal Abdo Mehdi, in 2017. 

Who is Nimisha Priya?

Nimisha Priya had been working in Yemen since 2008 and had opened her own clinic in Sana'a in 2015 with Mehdi's help. However, their partnership turned sour, and Mehdi allegedly harassed and tortured Priya, even stealing her passport and claiming they were married.

In July 2017, Priya, with the help of another nurse, sedated Mehdi to retrieve her passport, but he died due to a drug overdose. Priya was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death in 2018. Her family has been fighting for her freedom, appealing to the Yemeni Supreme Court, but their plea was dismissed in 2023.

Nimisha Priya’s release depended on securing forgiveness from the family of the victim, Talal Abdo Mehdi, and their tribal leaders. Her mother, Prema Kumari, has been living in Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, working to secure a waiver of the death penalty and negotiate the blood money with the victim’s family.

Efforts to release Nimisha by providing blood money failed to yield any results.