Yemen's President Rashad al-Alimi has approved the death sentence of Nimisha Priya, a medical nurse from Kerala for murdering a Yemeni citizen. The presidential approval on Monday, December 30, is a severe set back to the extensive diplomatic efforts by India to secure her release. Nimisha Priya, a native of Palakkad, has been in Yemen central prison for the past 7 years.
After the death sentence was approved by the Yemen president, the government of India extended all support and help to the family. “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”, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Tuesday, December 31.
Nimisha’s mother Prema Kumari travelled to Yemen in April this year to meet her daughter and request the withdrawal of the death penalty.
The Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, which had been trying to secure her release, are hopeful of another chance to communicate with the murder victim's family.
Nimisha Priya went to Yemen in 2008, and she worked in a few hospitals. She settled in Yemen along with her husband and daughter. However, in 2014, her husband and daughter returned to India due to a financial crisis. In 2015, she started a hospital there with the help of Talal Abdo Mahdi, as a Yemen citizen’s assistance is mandatory to operate a business in Yemen. He was her husband’s friend.
In 2017, Nimisha Priya allegedly injected Talal Abdo Mahdi with a sedative to get her passport, which he had taken from her. Following the injection, he collapsed and died. She then disposed of the body in a water tank with the help of a colleague. In August 2017, she was taken into custody.
In 2020, she was sentenced to death by a trial court in Sanaa. In November 2023, the Supreme Court of Yemen dismissed an appeal against the death sentence. However, the court kept the option of paying blood money open.
In June 2024, the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council received approval from the Union government to transfer the pre-negotiation blood money amounting to Rs 33.38 lakh to Mahdi’s family. The blood money was estimated to be around Rs 3 crore.