Kerala Nurse Sentenced To Death In Yemen: Family 'Exploring Relevant Options', Indian Government Extending 'All Possible Help'

The President of Yemen, Rashad al-Alimi, has sanctioned the capital punishment for Indian nurse, Nimisha Priya, who has been incarcerated since 2017 for the killing of a Yemeni citizen.

Reacting to the development, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement acknowledging awareness of the matter.

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

As per media reports, the death penalty is set to be carried out within the next month. This comes after discussions with the victim's family abruptly ended in September.

The surprising decision of the President of Yemen left the family, who had been striving to rescue the 36-year-old Kerala nurse from death row, in shock.

Her 57-year-old mother, Prema Kumari, traveled to Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, earlier this year. Reports suggest she has been residing there since, in an attempt to negotiate the blood money with the victim's family and secure a waiver of the death penalty.

In 2017, Priya was convicted for the murder of Talal Abdo Mahdi, a citizen of Yemen, and subsequently sentenced to death by a Yemeni trial court in the following year.

Since the sentencing, her family has relentlessly fought for her freedom, even appealing to the Yemeni Supreme Court against the decision of the trial court. However, their plea was dismissed in 2023.

Now, after the President of the country also denied Priya's appeal, her only chance of release hinges on obtaining a pardon from the family of the victim and their tribal chiefs.