New Delhi: Indian nurse got death sentence on foreign soil. The tension is high. Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya sentenced to death in Yemen. President Rashad Al-Alimi approved his death sentence. The nurse has been imprisoned there since 2017. It is decided that his death will be executed within the next month. India reacted strongly to that. (India-Yemen Relations)
India’s Ministry of External Affairs has reacted strongly to the entire incident. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement, “We are aware of the death sentence for Priya. I know her family is making every effort. The government is also extending all possible support.” (Capital Punishment for Indian Nurse)
Priya’s family is trying to get the girl’s death sentence commuted. But time is very short. Yemen will execute Priya within a month if the plea for an early pardon is not granted. It is reported that discussions have started on the matter at the diplomatic level as well.
Priya is a resident of Kerala’s Palakkad district. In July 2017, he was arrested for the murder of Talal Abdo Mehdi, a citizen of Yemen.
In 2020, a trial court in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, sentenced Priya to death. Despite an appeal against the sentence, Yemen’s Judicial Council rejected his appeal in November 2023. The President of the country has also agreed to the execution of the death penalty.
36-year-old Priya’s family, however, continues to try to save her daughter. Priya’s mother Prema Kumari Sana passed away earlier this year. If the victim’s family can be persuaded to commute Priya’s sentence with monetary compensation, there is a possibility of an acquittal, reports said. Priya’s family is trying that. If the victim’s family forgives Priya, the death sentence will not be carried out.
According to Priya’s family sources, talks were going on with the family of the deceased. But in September, Abdulla Amir, a lawyer appointed by the Indian Embassy, demanded Rs 16.6 lakh in the pre-settlement phase. He was given money by the Ministry of External Affairs. But he demanded that 33 lakh rupees should be settled in two installments for remuneration. He said that only then can new talks be started with the family of the deceased. That made the matter more prolonged.
The International Action Council has already withdrawn the first installment of Amir’s remuneration from the grant. But where the donation came from, there is alleged opacity.
Priya was working in a private hospital in Yemen. Her husband returned to the country with their minor daughter in 2014. Civil war started in Yemen that year. The visa process is stopped. And Priya’s husband could not go back there. In 2015, Priya appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to open her own clinic in Sanaa. But according to Yemeni law, only citizens of the country can open clinics or businesses there. It is known that Abdo Priya, who was killed in 2015, also came to Kerala. Allegedly, Mehdi claimed Priya as his wife by distorting Priya’s wedding pictures. When Priya started her own clinic after returning to Yemen, Mehdi allegedly took all the money and changed the clinic’s papers. There was a problem between the two people.
Priya complains, she is also beaten by Mehdi. He took the passport. Despite informing the police, no action was taken against Mehdi. Instead he was kept in jail for six days. After this, Priya contacted the jail warden in July 2017. Mehdi stayed in a jail near his clinic for some time. The warden advised Mehdi to drug him and take away his passport. But the drug did not work on Mehdi. Priya gave him more drugs. Mehdi reportedly died of an overdose within minutes.
See more
