New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs Tuesday said they would extend all possible help to Nimisha Priya, the Indian nurse sentenced to death in Yemen for murder.
On Monday, Yemen President Rashad al-Alimi approved the death sentence of the nurse from Kerala convicted of murdering a Yemeni citizen Talal Abdo Mahdi.
“We are aware of the sentencing of Ms Nimisha Priya in Yemen. We understand that the family of Ms Priya is exploring relevant options. The government is extending all possible help in the matter,” said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement.
Priya was found guilty of murdering Mahdi, as well as dismembering and disposing of his body. The Indian nurse was awarded a death sentence in 2020. In March 2022, her appeal was rejected by an appellate court. Last November, the Supreme Court in Yemen rejected Priya’s appeal against the sentence.
After the top court rejected her appeal, Priya had two options left—a presidential pardon, or negotiating the payment of blood money to Mahdi’s family. Blood money is monetary compensation offered to the family of a murdered person, which would then allow the perpetrator to receive a pardon.
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Priya’s mother tried to negotiate
Premakumari, Priya’s mother, had filed an application before the Delhi High Court seeking permission to travel to Yemen to negotiate with Mahdi’s family, which was granted at her own risk last year.
Along with Samuel Jerome, a member of the ‘Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council’, Premakumari travelled to the country in April.
Indian nationals have not been allowed to travel to Yemen since 2016 due to the adverse political and security situation in the country. The Indian government was willing to relax the ban in specific cases as well as for essential travel.
On 24 April, 2024, Premakumari met her daughter at a Yemeni prison, after over 11 years, according to news reports. Premakumari had travelled to Sana’a, the capital of the country which has been under the control of Houthi rebels since the beginning of the civil war 10 years ago.
The negotiations over the payment of blood money, according to media reports, hit a dead end in September.
According to media reports, Mahdi’s family originally requested 50 million Yemeni Rials in 2022 as compensation.
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The case against Nimisha Priya
Priya, along with her husband Tomy Thomas, migrated to Yemen for work. In 2014, Thomas returned to India with their daughter, while Priya continued to work in the country.
In 2015, Priya started her own clinic in Yemen. The law required a domestic national as a partner for any business run by a foreigner. Priya reached out to Mahdi but later chose to start the clinic with her former employer Abdul Lateef.
Thomas, in interviews with media organisations, said that Mahdi added his name as a shareholder to the clinic and then drew up illegal documents claiming Priya was his wife. Thomas and their daughter were unable to travel to Yemen due to the civil war.
Priya complained that Mahdi took her passport and would torture her, preventing her return to India. She also said she received no legal aid. Priya claimed she gave sedatives to Mahdi in an attempt to retrieve her passport, but he collapsed and died due to a drug-overdose.
She then reached out to a friend and a fellow nurse Hanan (identified by a single name) after Mahdi’s death. Hanan allegedly dismembered Mahdi’s body and disposed of it in a water tank. Originally sentenced to life, Priya was later given the death penalty.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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