MEA ensures ‘all possible help’ to Kerala nurse sentenced to death in Yemen

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it will extend all help possible in the matter of the Kerala nurse who has been given a death sentence in Yemen. Nimisha Priya, a nurse hailing from Kerala is facing a death sentence for allegedly murdering a Yemeni citizen. 

The Indian government said it is extending all help to help explore relevant options in the case of Nimisha Priya, who hails from Kollengode in Kerala's Palakkad district. 

MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We are 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.” 

Yemen's President Rashad al-Alimi approved the death sentence for Priya, who has been in jail since 2017. Unless a pardon is obtained by the family, Priya’s execution would be undertaken within a month. 

NIMISHA PRIYA’S CASE

Priya has been accused of murdering Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mehdi in July 2017. She had left for Yemen in 2008, and started her own clinic in 2015 after working in a few hospitals. Mehdi was her partner in the clinic. 

She questioned him on alleged embezzlement. Her passport was in his possession, and in order to retrieve it, she injected him with sedatives to make him unconscious, but an overdose resulted in his death. Priya was subsequently taken into custody while trying to flee Yemen. 

A trial court had later sentenced her to death in 2020, and an appeal was dismissed by Yemen's Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023. 

There was an option of paying blood money, meaning her death sentence would have been set aside if the victim’s family pardoned her and accepted the blood money. 

The negotiations were underway too but were stalled after the payment for the lawyer appearing on her behalf got delayed. The lawyer demanded $40,000 in two installments as pre-negotiation fees, and refused to proceed further unless the entire amount was deposited.