Who Is Nimisha Priya? Indian Nurse To Be Executed In Yemen Next Week

Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala, will be executed in Yemen on July 16 for her involvement in the alleged murder of a Yemeni national, according to reports. There has been no official confirmation from her family or the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council, which has been initiating legal and other measures to secure her release. Priya was convicted of the crime in 2018 and was sentenced to death in 2020, prompting continuous diplomatic efforts by India's Ministry of External Affairs to bring her back home. 

In November 2023, the Supreme Judicial Council of Yemen upheld her death sentence. Last year, the war-torn country's President Rashad al-Alimi gave final approval. Indian authorities have been actively working to prevent Priya’s execution.“We have been closely following the matter since she was given the death sentence. We have been in regular touch with Yemeni authorities and her family members and rendered all possible assistance," one MEA official told Hindustan Times. 

Background of the Case

Nimisha Priya, a nurse and mother of two originally from Kollengode in Kerala’s Palakkad district, moved to Yemen for work in 2008. After working in various hospitals, she opened her own clinic. However, in 2017, a dispute with her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, reportedly took a tragic turn. 

Nimisha Priya stands accused of the murder of Mahdi. She claimed that he forged documents to claim marriage with her and subjected her to years of physical abuse, financial exploitation, and threats. The prosecution alleges that she injected him with sedatives to retrieve her passport from his possession. 

Unfortunately, Mahdi succumbed to an overdose, leading to grave charges against Priya. Reports suggest that she, along with her colleague Hanan, a Yemeni national, dismembered Mahdi's body and disposed of it in a water tank. Priya was sentenced to capital punishment, while Hanan was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Efforts By Nimisha Priya's Family 

Nimisha Priya's family in India has made numerous efforts to secure her release. Her mother, Premakumari, told The New Indian Express, “I’m still hopeful that Nimisha will come back to us this New Year. I believe every Indian will support me and the council in this mission." Premakumari has been in Yemen since April 2024 to negotiate her daughter's case. She reportedly sold her house in Kerala to travel to Yemen to negotiate with Yemeni officials.

Priya's husband, Tony Thomas, reportedly agreed to enter a "diyat" or blood money deal, a compensation agreed upon by the victim's family to secure her release. Priya's fate depends entirely on the willingness of the victim's family to accept deal, the only legal alternative to capital punishment under Yemeni law. For this negotiation to transpire, Priya's family had to travel to Yemen, which Premakumari agreed to. 

However, a travel ban imposed by the Indian government in 2017 prevents its citizens from visiting war-torn Yemen without official permission. Recognising the gravity of the situation, the Delhi High Court intervened in November 2023, directing the Centre to relax its notification and allow Premakumari to journey to Yemen. In April 2024, Premakumari left for the West-Asian country along with Samuel Jerome, a member of the Save Nimishipriya International Action Council.

However, the efforts to reach a settlement with the victim's family fell apart in September 2024. Priya remains incarcerated in Sana’a, awaiting the outcome of last-minute efforts that may determine her fate. The case has triggered many citizen-led campaigns and appeals from human rights organisations, urging urgent intervention from the Indian government and international agencies.