The Union government informed the Supreme Court on Monday that it has taken all possible steps to save Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala, who is facing execution in Yemen for the 2017 murder of a Yemeni citizen. The execution which was set to be on July 16, has been temporarily postponed.
Priya, a native of Kollengode in Kerala’s Palakkad district, has been convicted in a case entangled in complex legal and geopolitical hurdles. Despite sustained diplomatic efforts by India, a resolution remains elusive.
“There’s only so far the Indian government can go. We have reached that point,” Attorney General R Venkataramani told the court, adding that all available avenues to secure relief for Priya have been exhausted. “Nothing has worked so far,” he said, indicating that the matter may now be beyond the government’s influence.
So, how did a nurse from Kerala end up on death row in a foreign country, and why have diplomatic efforts hit a wall? Here’s what we know.
How did Nimisha Priya end up in Yemen?
At 37, Priya’s pursuit of work had taken her to Yemen but instead of building a career, she found herself imprisoned in the capital, Sana’a. The city is under the control of the Iran-backed Houthi administration, with which India lacks official diplomatic engagement.
Priya first arrived in Yemen in 2011 to take up a nursing job in Sana’a. When conflict intensified and finances grew tight, her husband and daughter returned to India in 2014. Priya, however, chose to remain in Yemen to continue supporting her family.
In time, she entered into a business partnership with a Yemeni citizen, Talal Abdo Mahdi, in order to open a medical clinic—a legal necessity for foreign healthcare workers in the country. But according to Priya, the arrangement turned into a nightmare. She alleged that Mahdi falsified documents to show they were married and subjected her to years of physical violence, financial exploitation, and coercion.
She claimed that he confiscated her passport and used drugs to manipulate her. Despite seeking help from local authorities, Priya said she was met not with protection, but with arrest.
What is the case against Nimisha Priya?
Priya was found guilty of killing Mahdi in a case that dates back to 2017. According to court documents, Mahdi had taken away her passport, leaving her trapped in Yemen and reliant on him for survival.
Desperate to escape, Priya reportedly tried to sedate him in order to retrieve her passport and flee the country. However, the dosage proved fatal, resulting in his death. She later enlisted the help of a local woman named Hanan to dismember the body and hide the remains in a water tank.
In 2020, a Yemeni court sentenced Priya to death. The Houthis’ Supreme Judicial Council upheld the verdict in November 2023.
Why have India’s efforts to save Nimisha Priya failed so far?
The Indian government has been actively trying to prevent Priya’s execution ever since she was sentenced to death by a Yemeni court in 2020. Officials say New Delhi has been “closely following the matter” and remains in regular contact with Yemeni authorities, as well as Priya’s family. The government also informed the Parliament that it is extending all possible assistance to her family.
But the road to securing her release has been fraught with challenges—the most significant being the absence of formal diplomatic relations with the Houthi-controlled administration in Yemen. This lack of official channels has made direct negotiations extremely difficult and unpredictable.
In a personal appeal for mercy, Priya’s mother, Premakumari, even travelled to Yemen last year. Indian authorities also explored the possibility of arranging a diyat —or blood money—which under Yemeni law allows a murder convict to be pardoned by the victim’s family in exchange for financial compensation. However, progress on that front has been stalled.
Why the blood money option has not worked?
Yemen’s legal system, based on Sharia law, permits the victim’s family to forgive a murderer, even after conviction, if they are offered and agree to accept diyat. In Priya’s case, a Delhi-based organisation called Save Nimisha Priya Action Council claims her family has been in touch with Mahdi’s relatives and has managed to raise a substantial amount for this purpose.
Yet, despite these efforts, both the victim’s family and Houthi authorities have refused to engage. “They say it’s a matter of honour,” India’s Attorney General told the Supreme Court. “We don’t know if it changes with more money. But as of now, standstill.”
The Supreme Court also acknowledged its limitations in intervening in the matter. “How can we pass an order concerning a foreign nation? Who is going to follow it?” the bench remarked during a recent hearing. The case, overseen by Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, was adjourned to July 18, with the court asking all parties to update it on any developments in the meantime.
Editor's note: The story has been updated following the recent order postponing Nimisha Priya's execution in Yemen.
