Yemen has passed a death sentence for the Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, who has been in jail since 2017 for allegedly murdering a Yemeni national. As per media reports, the death sentence will be executed within a month. 

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On Tuesday (Dec 31), India released a statement saying it was aware of the death sentence and was extending all possible help to her family. "We understand that the family of Priya is exploring relevant options. The government is extending all possible help in the matter," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in the statement.

The decision came as a shock to Priya's family in Kerala, as they have been making all efforts to save the 36-year-old nurse. It has also been reported that her mother, 57-year-old Prerna Kumari, reached Sanaa this year and has been living there to make efforts for her release or to at least save her from the death sentence. 

Nimisha Priya's case 

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Nimisha Priya was found guilty of killing a Yemeni man named Talal Abdo Mahdi in 2017. After a year, she was sentenced to jail, and her family is trying to negotiate the blood money with Mahdi's family. 

Blood money is the amount paid to the family of the deceased by the murderer or murderer's family as compensation in lieu of reprieve.

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Priya's family approached the Supreme Court of Yemen against the court's order in 2023, but their appeal was rejected.

Nimisha Priya's case is taking place in areas that are under the control of Houthis in Yemen. The sentencing was announced much earlier. The sentence has now been confirmed by the Houthi leadership in Sanaa. Hence, Priya's release entirely depends on the forgiveness of Mahdi's family. 

Who is she? 

Nimisha Priya is from Kerala's Palakkad district and is a trained nurse. She used to work in a private hospital in Yemen for a few years and was living with her husband and a minor daughter. In 2014, her husband and daughter went to India, but as Yemen grappled with the civil war the same year, they could not return to Yemen. 

Later in 2015, they took the help of Mahdi to set up her clinic in Yemen's capital, as only Yemen citizens are allowed to set up businesses in Yemen as per the law. 

As per her appeal, when she went to India for a month's holiday in 2015, Mahdi accompanied her. He allegedly stole her wedding photographs during that visit. He manipulated the photographs to claim that Priya was his wife. He started covering all the revenue of Priya's clinic and also manipulated documents in his favour. When Priya confronted him, he started physical assault on her.

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She alleged that when she approached the police, rather than taking any action on Mahdi, police arrested her for six days.

(With inputs from agencies)