Nimisha Priya, a trained nurse from Kerala who has worked in private hospitals in Yemen before setting up her own clinic there, is scheduled to be executed on July 16 for killing a Yemeni national.

Priya, 37, moved from Kerala to Yemen in 2008 to financially support her parents. After working in many hospitals, she decided to start a clinic when local resident Talal Abdo Mahdi offered assistance for the new venture as per Yemeni law, which permitted only a Yemeni citizen to run private practices and businesses.

Priya partnered with Mahdi, who eventually began to harass her for money and manipulated her documents saying she was his wife. He seized her passport and tortured her under the influence of drugs.

When Priya complained about Mahdi’s abuse to the police, they arrested Priya and kept her in custody for six days. No action was taken against Mahdi. Instead, he began to torment her even more. At this juncture, Priya got in touch with a warden of a jail who said she could try sedating Mahdi to retrieve her passport. The idea seemed good, but since Mahdi was a substance abuser the sedation didn’t work. So Priya had to use a stronger sedative which proved fatal; Mahdi died of drug overdose.

While attempting to flee Yemen, Priya was arrested. She has been in jail since 2017.

Priya was convicted of murder in 2018 and the trial court sentenced her to death in 2020.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs had earlier said it was aware of Priya’s condition, assuring that the government was providing necessary help.

Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council was started to generate funds to release Priya. But the victim’s family has refused to take ‘blood money’. Under Yemeni law, ‘blood money’ or diya is the only legal alternative to capital punishment. – editor@nrifocus.com