Nimisha Priya, a 37-year-old nurse from Kerala, India, faces execution in Yemen on July 16 after being convicted of the murder of Talal Abdo Mehdi, a Yemeni national. Her case has drawn significant attention in India, with ongoing efforts to secure her release.
Priya's journey to Yemen began in 2008 when she sought better opportunities as a nurse. In 2011, she married Tomy Thomas and had a daughter. Due to financial constraints, her husband and daughter returned to India in 2014, while Nimisha remained in Yemen. Driven by entrepreneurial aspirations, she planned to open her own clinic in Sana'a. However, Yemeni law required foreign nationals to partner with a local citizen for business ventures, leading her to Talal Abdo Mehdi.
The partnership with Mehdi initially seemed promising, but soon deteriorated. Priya alleged that Mehdi seized her passport, demanded money, and subjected her to physical, mental, and financial abuse. She claimed he manipulated documents to falsely claim they were married and used drugs to control her.
In July 2017, in a desperate attempt to retrieve her passport and escape the alleged abuse, Priya attempted to sedate Mehdi. However, he died from a drug overdose. Following his death, Priya, along with a Yemeni colleague named Hanan, allegedly dismembered Mehdi's body and disposed of it in a water tank.
Priya was arrested and charged with murder. In 2020, a Yemeni court sentenced her to death. Her appeals to higher courts were rejected, and in 2024, Yemen's Supreme Judicial Council upheld the death sentence. Yemen's President Rashad al-Alimi approved the execution order.
The case has been complicated by the ongoing conflict in Yemen, with the Houthi militia controlling Sana'a, where Priya is imprisoned. The Indian government has been closely monitoring the situation and has stated that it is extending all possible assistance to Priya and her family.
Under Yemeni law, capital punishment can be averted if the victim's family agrees to accept "blood money" (diya). A sum of one million dollars has been pledged towards this cause. Nimisha's mother, Prema Kumari, has been in Yemen, appealing to the victim's family for a pardon. Samuel Jerome Baskaran, a social worker involved in negotiations, confirmed that the execution is scheduled for July 16, but options for intervention remain open. He is currently in Yemen to resume negotiations with the family. The lack of response from Talal's family has made it difficult to negotiate a reprieve for Nimisha.
