Nimisha Priya case: Yemen executes prisoners with a bullet through the heart

Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, who is set to be executed in Yemen on 16 July 2025, will not be hanged. Capital punishment in Yemen is permitted with four methods. However, only one of them is mostly used. Yemen's penal code lists stoning, hanging, and beheading as methods that can be used to execute a person sentenced to death. However, shooting is the only method in use today. More specifically, the executioner targets the heart of the person, destroying the spinal vertebrae in the process. Nimisha Priya was convicted of the murder of a Yemeni national, Talal Abdo Mahdi. He was her former business partner whom she accused of physically torturing her. Mahdi's chopped-up body was found in 2017, after which Nimisha was charged with the killing. She is currently lodged in the Sanaa central jail in the capital of Yemen.

While last-ditch efforts are on to save her, she can only avoid the death penalty if Mahdi's family pardons her. Babu John, social activist and member of the Save Nimisha Priya Council, told the BBC, "We are still waiting for their pardon or any other demands. The execution date has been conveyed by the Director General of Prosecution to the jail authorities. We are still trying to save her. But ultimately, the family has to agree to pardon." But if all efforts fail and Yemen goes ahead with the execution, it would not be by hanging. Also Read: As execution date nears, final attempts to save Nimisha Priya underway in Yemen

Death by firing in Yemen

In Yemen, capital punishment is delivered via shooting, specifically at the heart of the person. They are laid face down on the ground, a rug or a blanket. Only one executioner carries out the shooting with an automatic rifle. A medical practitioner points to the heart's position before the shooting. The man fires multiple rounds into the back of the person, specifically trying to hit the heart. Nimisha is expected to be subjected to the same fate. Yemen allows both private and public executions. Meanwhile, stoning has not been used for hundreds of years. Also Read:

Yemen is notorious for its capital punishment practices that have invited criticism from several quarters. Human rights organisations have expressed concern that people are handed death sentences after unfair trials. According to official records, more than 13 people were executed in 2023. However, it is alleged that most executions are not made public, and the number could be much higher.

Nimisha Priya execution date

Samuel Jerome, a social worker who has been involved in the Nimisha Priya case, told WION that he received a call on his Yemeni phone number while he was in India, informing him about the date of Nimisha's execution. The call was supposedly from the Chairman of Prisons in Yemen. Jerome verified the details with his contacts in Yemen and confirmed that it was authentic. Jerome said they had earlier talked to Mahdi's family, asking for forgiveness. "We had negotiations with his father and brother, asking for forgiveness. The concept of blood money is that the victim's side has to first forgive, and then the sum has to be paid. We offered to pay $1million (over Rs 8.5 crore) and also some other assurances. However, there was no response from the family after that," he said. However, now that the execution order has been issued, he says it would be futile to reach out to the family again since it could not have been done without the victim family's consent.