India Extends Support To Kerala Nurse Nimisha Priya Facing Death Penalty In Yemen

India announced on Tuesday that it is providing “all possible help” to Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who faces the death penalty in Yemen for the murder of a Yemeni national.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “We are aware of the sentencing of Ms. Nimisha Priya in Yemen. The family is exploring options, and the government is extending all possible help.”

The announcement comes after Yemen’s President Rashad al-Alimi approved the death sentence. Reports suggest the execution could occur within a month, prompting urgent efforts by her family and supporters to save her.

Family Struggles To Secure Blood Money

Nimisha’s mother, Prema Kumari, has been working tirelessly to prevent her daughter’s execution. Earlier this year, she traveled to Sanaa to negotiate diya (blood money) payments with the victim’s family. The Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, an NRI social worker group, has supported these efforts.

Nimisha, a nurse from Kerala’s Palakkad district, moved to Yemen in 2008 to support her family. After working in hospitals, she opened a clinic. A dispute arose in 2017 with her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, over alleged fund misappropriation.

According to her family, Nimisha allegedly injected Mahdi with sedatives to recover her passport. An overdose led to his death. She was arrested while fleeing and convicted of murder in 2018.

Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council upheld her death sentence in November 2023 but left open the possibility of a blood money settlement. The case has sparked widespread attention, highlighting challenges faced by Indian nationals abroad. Nimisha’s family continues to seek solutions to save her from execution.

However, Tomy Thomas, husband of Nimisha Priya and their daughter expect that they will be able to prevail upon the family of Talal Abdo Mahdi to resolve the case by paying the blood money.

“Numerous people are working to resolve this issue and we all are hoping that we will be able to connect with the family of Mahdi who has to pardon Nimisha. Our daughter at times connects with her mother, but she is missing a mother’s attention and love,” said Thomas who returned home years ago from Yemen and was planning to go back when the case surfaced.

The urgency of the situation escalated after Yemen’s President Rashad al-Alimi approved Nimisha Priya’s death sentence earlier this month. Reports suggest the execution could occur within a month, leaving her family and supporters scrambling for a resolution.

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