Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala, has been sentenced to death in Yemen after being convicted of killing Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi. The tragic incident occurred in 2017 when Priya, in a desperate attempt to recover her passport from Mahdi, accidentally overdosed him with sedatives, leading to his death. She was convicted in 2018, but her case has been mired in a lengthy legal battle.

Now, with President Rashad al-Alimi's approval of the death sentence on Monday, Nimisha's execution could take place within a month unless Mahdi's family grants a pardon, a condition under Yemeni law. Despite her conviction, Nimisha’s family has not given up hope, continuing to negotiate with the victim's family to seek a pardon or waiver of the sentence.

Priya's mother, Prema Kumari, has been living in Yemen's capital, Sana'a, for the past five months. She has been working tirelessly, engaging in negotiations on behalf of her daughter through the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council. However, her efforts have been met with significant hurdles. In September, the negotiations came to a halt when a lawyer selected by the Indian Embassy requested a pre-negotiation fee of USD20,000, even though nearly the same amount had already been paid through the Ministry of External Affairs. The lawyer's insistence on a total fee of USD40,000 created a setback.

The case has been challenging from the start. In 2020, Yemen's Appeals Court dismissed an appeal against the conviction. Even after further attempts to approach the Supreme Court, no progress was made.

At this point, the only chance for Nimisha’s survival is a potential pardon from the victim's family. As time runs out, both her family and the Indian government continue to explore every possible option to save her life.

A Sad Story

Priya's journey to Yemen started in 2011, when she moved there to work as a nurse in the capital city, Sana'a. In 2014, financial problems forced her husband and their young daughter to go back to India. Due to Yemen's ongoing civil war, they couldn't reunite. Priya stayed in Yemen, where she later teamed up with Mahdi to open a clinic, which was a legal requirement for foreigners in the country.