The Indian nurse sentenced to death in Yemen for Murder. India approves

The Indian nurse sentenced to death in Yemen for Murder. India approves

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, December 31, 2024: Yemen President Rashad al-Alimi has approved the death sentence for Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, who has been serving a prison sentence since 2017 for the murder of a Yemeni national. The execution sentence will be executed in a month’s time, according to media reports.

Reacting to the development, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday said, India is aware of the sentencing of Nimisha Priya in Yemen.

"We understand that the family of Priya is exploring relevant options. The government is extending all possible help in the matter," MEA Spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said in a statement.

The Yemeni President’s decision came as a shock to the family back home that has been making efforts to save the 36-year-old from death row. Her mother Prema Kumari, 57, reached Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, earlier this year and has since been reportedly staying there to secure a waiver of the death penalty and negotiate the blood money with the victim’s family.

Nimisha Priya case

Priya was found guilty of killing Talal Abdo Mahdi, a Yemeni national, in 2017. A year later, she was sentenced to death by a trial court in Yemen. Since then, her family has been fighting for her release. They approached the Yemini Supreme Court against the trial court’s order, but their appeal was rejected in 2023. Now, with the country’s President also rejecting Priya’s appeal, her release depended on securing forgiveness from the victim’s family and their tribal leaders.

Her mother, Prema Kumari has been trying to negotiate the blood money with the victim’s family, but talks with the victim’s family had come to an abrupt halt in September after Abdullah Ameer, the lawyer appointed by the Indian Embassy, demanded a pre-negotiation fee of $20,000 (approximately Rs16.6 lakh), according to a report by Manorama online.

MEA has already provided $19,871 to Ameer in July, but he insisted on a total fee of $40,000, payable in two instalments before he would resume talks.

The Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council succeeded in raising the first instalment of Ameer’s fee through crowdfunding. However, later they reportedly faced challenges in ensuring transparency to donors about how the funds were being used.