The Supreme Court of Yemen has dismissed an appeal against the death sentence by Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse who was imprisoned for the murder of a Yemeni national, in 2017. The Union government’s lawyer confirmed this development on Thursday, November 16, during a hearing at the Delhi High Court.
Nimisha Priya, a native of Kerala's Palakkad, was found guilty of murdering Talal Abdo Mahdi, dismembering his body, and disposing of the remains in a water tank at her residence in Yemen. Nimisha, who had been operating a clinic in Yemen since 2015 along with Talal, claimed that she had been subjected to two years of torture by him. She said that he had taken her passport away, thereby making her return home impossible, and that the killing was unintentional. She explained that she only intended to sedate him by administering an injection and getting access to her passport while he remained sedated. But he collapsed and died.
The court proceedings in the Delhi High Court unfolded as Nimisha's mother, Premakumari, sought permission to travel to Yemen. Premakumari pleaded that the only way to save her daughter from the death penalty was to negotiate with the deceased's family by offering blood money. However, due to a travel ban, she has been unable to go to Yemen for this purpose.
The Delhi High Court, in response to Premakumari's plea, directed the government pleader to provide information on who could be authorised to travel to Yemen in these circumstances.
The 'Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council,' formed by a group of like-minded individuals, has taken the initiative to crowdsource funds to support Premakumari, who works as a domestic help in Kerala. The organisation aims to raise funds to facilitate negotiations with the deceased's family and explore legal avenues to spare Nimisha Priya from the death penalty.
The Union government also informed the Delhi High Court that the authority to grant relief on Nimisha’s penalty now lies with the Yemeni President, adding another layer of complexity to the case.