Indian Nurse From Kerala, Nimisha Priya, Sentenced To Death In Yemen: What Led To The Shocking Verdict? Explained

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The case of Nimisha Priya has again come to light after Yemen Yemen President Rashad al-Alimi on Monday approved the death sentence for her. After this, a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswa came on the case wherein he said that“We are aware of the sentencing of Nimisha Priya in Yemen. We understand that the family of Priya is exploring relevant options. The government is extending all possible help in the matter.”

Also Read | Israel's Netanyahu to Undergo Prostate Surgery Under Anesthesia

The Yemen media reports have also indicated that her sentence would be executed within a month's time. Priya was handed capital punishment by a trial court in 2020 and Yemen's Supreme Judicial Council upheld the verdict in November 2023. Yemen's President Rashad al-Alimi has reportedly approved Priya's death sentence.

What is the case about?

Nimisha Priya has been convicted of murdering Talal Abdo Mahdi, a Yemen national. Talal died in July 2017 after she injected him with sedatives to get back her passport from possession.

Also Read | Over 45,000 Palestinians killed from October 2023 amid ongoing Israeli offensive Here's the full story of what happened

Nimisha Priya, a trained nurse who has been sentenced to death in Yemen, worked in private hospitals there for several years. In 2014, her husband and young daughter returned to India due to financial difficulties and in the same year Yemen was caught in civil war, and the issuing of new visas stopped made it impossible for them to go back.

In 2015, she partnered with Talal Abdo Mahdi to open a clinic in Yemen's capital, Sana, as local law only allowed nationals to establish businesses.

Later that year, when Mahdi accompanied Nimisha Priya to Kerala for a month-long holiday, he stole a wedding photograph of Nimisha, which he later manipulated to claim that he was married to her.

Also Read | How the Biden administration botched America's sanctions against Iran

In a plea moved by Nimisha's mother stat , "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.

What led to the shocking verdict?

In July 2017, Nimisha sought help from a warden of a jail located near her clinic. The warden suggested that she try to sedate Mahdi and then convince him to give her passport. However, the first attempt to sedate him failed, as Mahdi was a substance abuser. She then tried using a stronger sedative to retrieve her passport, but this time, he died within minutes from a drug overdose.

(With inputs from agencies)

MENAFN31122024007365015876ID1109044457