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Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya to be executed on July 16 for murdering Yemeni national
Nimisha Priya, from Kerala's Palakkad district, was arrested in 2017 for the murder of her business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi. Image Courtesy: X
Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who was jailed for killing a Yemeni national, will be executed on July 16, according to a report, citing a social activist.
According to a News 18 report, citing Kerala-based news outlet Onmanorama, human rights activist Samuel Jerome, who holds the power of attorney of Nimisha Priya's mother, Prema Kumari, said that prison authorities of Yemen have informed him about the date of her execution.
Priya was arrested in 2017 for the alleged murder of her business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi. In 2020, a Yemeni court sentenced her to death in connection with the case.
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'We have been closely following the matter since then. We have been in regular touch with local authorities and her family members and rendered all possible assistance. We continue to closely follow the matter," News 18 quoted sources in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as saying.
Priya, a native of Kerala's Palakkad district, moved to Yemen in 2011 after completing her nursing training, hoping to support her parents, who worked as daily wage labourers.
She initially worked tirelessly across several hospitals before deciding to open her own clinic—a long-held dream. In 2014, she met Talal Abdo Mahdi, who offered to help her set up the clinic. Under Yemeni business law, foreign nationals are required to partner with a local to start a business, and the two entered into a partnership.
In 2015, Priya and Mahdi launched the clinic in Sana'a. However, their relationship quickly soured. Priya accused Mahdi of abuse and physical torture, claiming he confiscated her passport to prevent her from leaving Yemen. She lodged a police complaint, which led to his arrest in 2016, though he was later released.
In 2017, tensions escalated. Determined to recover her passport and return to India, Priya sought help from a local jail warden, who allegedly advised her to use sedatives to subdue Mahdi. Acting on the suggestion, she injected him with sedatives. Mahdi died of an overdose, leading to her arrest and subsequent murder charge.
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In the same year, a Yemeni trial court sentenced Priya to death. Her mother, Prema Kumari, later appealed the verdict to Yemen's Supreme Court, but the appeal was rejected in 2023. President Rashad al-Alimi also signed off on the execution order, upholding the sentence.
With inputs from agencies
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Time of India
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Kochi: Keralite nurse Nimisha Priya, currently on death row at the central prison in Yemen's capital Sana'a for the murder of a Yemeni national, is scheduled to be executed on July 16, according to human rights activist Samuel Jerome, who holds the power of attorney for Nimisha's mother Prema Kumari. However, there has been no official confirmation of the execution date from the Indian embassy in Yemen, ministry of external affairs (MEA) or Save Nimisha Priya Action Council. Jerome said the execution order was issued by the public prosecutor's office and handed over to prison authorities, who fixed July 16 as the date. Nimisha, a native of Kollengode in Palakkad, was accused of murdering Talal Abdo Mahdi — with whom she had started a health clinic in Sana'a and later reportedly entered into a marriage — in July 2017. She allegedly chopped his body and dumped the body parts in a water tank. Mahdi had reportedly tortured Nimisha and illegally seized her passport, which led to the murder. A trial court sentenced her to death in 2018, a verdict later upheld by an appeals court. Jerome said Nimisha and the MEA had been informed of the execution decision. He added that negotiations with Mahdi's family and tribal leaders over the payment of blood money would be expedited in view of the prison authorities' decision. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is it better to shower in the morning or at night? Here's what a microbiologist says CNA Read More Undo "Hope still remains. Mahdi's family can forgive her even at the last moment. Govt of India can also intervene now for her release...," said Jerome, who added that he will arrive in Yemen on Wednesday to hold further discussions. Subhash Chandran of the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council, however, said they had not received any confirmation of the execution date. "We are in close contact with multiple organisations in Yemen and embassy officials. We have not received any information regarding the execution so far," he said. Negotiations for Nimisha's release suffered a major setback last year when the lawyer appointed by the Indian Embassy demanded a pre-negotiation fee of over Rs 15 lakh. The action council managed to arrange $40,000 through mediators, but the effort fell through midway. Subhash said the council had established contact with Mahdi's family and was working to start negotiation talks, although the family has yet to make a demand for blood money. The prevailing political situation in Yemen is also a major challenge to secure Nimisha's release. While Sana'a is under the control of Houthi militias, the rest of the country is governed by an internationally recognised, Saudi-backed govt and UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC). The Yemeni embassy in Delhi represents the Saudi-backed govt and has no official ties with the Houthis.
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India Gazette
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In regular touch with local authorities: Sources on death row of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya in Yemen
New Delhi [India], July 8 (ANI): Sources have noted that they are closely following the matter on the Nimisha Priya case of Yemen where she was convicted for the crime of murder in Yemen in June 2018. According to sources, the matter continues to be closely followed. As per the sources, 'Ms. Nimisha Priya was convicted for the crime of murder in Yemen in June 2018 and the local court handed out death sentence to her. We have been closely following the matter since then. We have been in regular touch with local authorities and her family members and rendered all possible assistance. We continue to closely follow the matter.' This comes amid reports of 37-year-old Indian nurse from Kerala scheduled to be executed on July 16. The trial court convicted her of killing the Yemeni national, a decision that was upheld by the country's Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023. Previously, MEA confirmed its awareness of the death sentence handed to Nimisha Priya and assured that the government is providing all possible assistance. Earlier in response to media queries regarding the case of Nimisha Priya, MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, '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.' Earlier this year in January, the Indian government had reaffirmed its commitment to assisting Nimisha Priya, a Kerala nurse who has been sentenced to death in Yemen. 'We are closely following the developments' said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal. Nimisha Priya, who is sentenced to death in Yemen, is a trained nurse and has worked in private hospitals in Yemen for a few years. Her husband and minor daughter returned to India in 2014 because of financial reasons and in that same year, Yemen was gripped by civil war, and they could not go back as the country stopped issuing new visas. Later in 2015, Nimisha joined hands with a Yemeni citizen, Talal Abdo Mahdi to set up her clinic in Sana. She sought Mahdi's support because, under Yemen's law, only nationals are allowed to set up clinics and business firms. In 2015, Mahdi accompanied Nimisha Priya to Kerala when she came for a month-long holiday. During the visit, he stole a wedding photograph of Nimisha, which he later manipulated to claim that he was married to her. A plea moved by mother of Nimisha Priya had stated, 'After a while, Nimisha's clinic began, Mahdi manipulated the ownership documents of the clinic. He also began to take money out of her monthly earnings after telling everyone that Nimisha was his wife Nimisha had alleged that Mahdi had been harassing her and her family for years. Mahdi also seized her passport. This was done to ensure that she would not leave Yemen. He tortured her under the influence of drugs. He threatened her at gunpoint several times. He took all the money from the clinic and her ornaments.' The plea further alleged that unable to cope with the torture, Nimisha complained to the police in Sana but instead of taking action against Mahdi, the police arrested her and put her in jail for six days. It was further alleged that on her return from jail, the severity of the torture increased manifold. In July 2017, Nimisha took the help of a warden of a jail located near her clinic. The warden suggested that she should try to sedate him, and then convince him to give her passport. However, sedation did not affect Mahdi, who was a substance abuser. She tried sedating him again, using a stronger sedative in order to retrieve her passport but he died within a few minutes due to a drug overdose. (ANI)
