On Monday, Yemen President Rashad al-Alimi approved the death sentence for an Indian nurse. Nimisha Priya the nurse has been serving a prison sentence since 2017. She was sentenced to death for the murder of a Yemeni national. According to reports, the death sentence can be executed in a month.
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Meanwhile, India has responded to the incident. The MEA said it was “extending all possible help” to the family of the nurse.
Our response to media queries regarding the case of Ms. Nimisha Priya:https://t.co/DlviLboqKG pic.twitter.com/tSgBlmitCy
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) December 31, 2024
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said: “We are aware of the sentencing of Nimisha Priya in Yemen. We understand that the family of Nimisha Priya is exploring all relevant options. The government is extending all possible help in the matter”
Who is Nimisha Priya?
According to reports, Priya is a native of Kerala’s Palakkad district. She is a trained nurse who worked in private hospitals in Yemen for a few years. Later her husband and minor daughter returned to India in 2014 because of financial reasons. In the same year, Yemen was gripped by civil war, and they could not go back, as the country stopped issuing new visas.
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As per Yemen’s law, only nationals are allowed to set up clinics and business firms. However, in 2015 Priya with the help of Talal Abdo Mahdi set up her clinic in Sana’a.
In 2015, Mahdi accompanied Priya to Kerala for a month-long holiday. During the visit, he stole her wedding photograph. After returning to Yemen Mahdi morphed the photo and claimed that he was married to her.
When Priya started the clinic, Mhadi started cornering all the revenue. He manipulated the ownership documents of the clinic. When Nimisha Priya questioned him about the embezzlement, he became hostile towards her. He also began to take money out of her monthly earnings after telling everyone that Nimisha was his wife
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Priya alleged that soon the harassment turned into physical torture. Mahdi seized her passport. This was done to ensure that she would not leave Yemen. He tortured her under the influence of drugs. He threatened her at gunpoint several times. He took all the money from the clinic and her ornaments.
The plea further alleged that Priya approached the police station in Sanaa to file a complaint. However, instead of taking action against Mahdi, the police arrested her and put her in jail for six days.
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After troubles arose between the duo, Nimisha filed a police complaint against Mahdi due to which he was arrested in 2016. But after his release, he continued threatening her.
Furthermore, in July 2017, Priya with the help of a warden found a jail near her clinic, where Mahdi was previously jailed under various charges. The warden suggested that “she should try to sedate him. Under the influence of sedition she can convince him to give her passport”.
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However, sedation did not affect Mahdi, who was a substance abuser. She tried sedating him again, using a stronger sedative but he died within a few minutes due to a drug overdose. Priya was then arrested for the alleged murder of Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mehdi in July 2017.
Following the incident, a trial court in Sana’a sentenced her to death in 2020. Later she filed an appeal which was dismissed by Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023. Thereafter an appeal is preferred before the Supreme Court / Supreme Judicial Council which is pending adjudication.
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According to the plea, the only way for her to escape from the death penalty is to gain pardon from the family of the deceased. This can be done by paying blood money to the family as per the law of the land (Shariah Law). Her death sentence could have been set aside if the victim’s family pardoned her and accepted blood money.
The negotiations for the same were underway. However, they were stalled after the payment to the lawyer appointed on behalf of Priya was delayed. The lawyer had demanded USD 40,000 in two installments as pre-negotiation fees. He refused to proceed further unless the entire amount was given to him.
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In addition, Nimisha Priya’s mother Prema Kumari went to Yemen in April 2024. She met her daughter at the prison there for the first time in 11 years. Since then, her mother has been in the country trying to secure her daughter’s release.
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