Relatives of Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse sentenced to death in Yemen, are urgently working to prevent her execution, which is scheduled for Wednesday. Priya received the death penalty for the murder of her former business partner, a Yemeni national, whose body was discovered in a water tank in 2017. A court in the capital city of Sanaa handed down the sentence in 2020, and since then, her family has been advocating for her release amid complex diplomatic challenges.
Legal Challenges and Human Rights Concerns
The case has captured significant media attention in India, prompting calls from human rights organizations for intervention. Amnesty International urged the Houthis, who control Sanaa, to establish a moratorium on executions. The organization described the death penalty as “the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.”
According to Samuel Joseph, a social worker assisting Priya’s family, there is a possibility for clemency under Yemen’s Islamic laws if the victim’s family agrees to pardon her and accepts “diyah,” a form of blood money. Joseph expressed cautious optimism about the situation, noting that the government of India is involved in efforts to secure her release. “I’m spiriting the efforts here, and by god’s grace, we got people who are helping,” he stated.
Priya was accused of injecting her business partner with a lethal overdose of sedatives. Her family maintains that she acted in self-defense, claiming that her partner was abusive and had withheld her passport following the outbreak of Yemen’s civil war. Joseph noted that Priya was tried in Arabic without a translator, raising concerns about the fairness of her trial.
Efforts to Secure Release
Activists have formed the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council to raise funds and negotiate with the victim’s family. Rafeek Ravuthar, a member of the council, highlighted the difficulties faced due to the lack of an Indian diplomatic mission in Yemen. “Negotiations have been a challenge,” he said. The council has reportedly raised about five million rupees (nearly $58,000) to support Priya’s case.
Political leaders from Kerala, Priya’s home state, have also appealed for assistance from India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a letter, Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged Modi to intervene, stating, “Considering the fact this is a case deserving sympathy, I appeal to the Hon’ble Prime Minister to take up the matter.”
India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, emphasized the government’s commitment to the welfare of Indians abroad during a parliamentary session. He noted, “The Government of India is providing all possible assistance in the case.”
Priya first arrived in Yemen in 2008, joining millions from Kerala seeking better opportunities in the Middle East. She worked as a nurse and, with financial support from her husband, opened a clinic in Sanaa in 2014. Her aspirations were overshadowed by the escalating violence following the Houthi takeover of the capital that same year, which eventually led to a protracted civil war.
Despite the deteriorating conditions, Priya chose to remain in Yemen to protect her business and provide for her family. Her mother, a domestic worker from Kerala, has sold her home to fund her daughter’s legal fees and has been in Yemen for over a year to facilitate negotiations.
As the clock ticks down to her scheduled execution, Priya’s family and supporters remain hopeful for a resolution. Her husband, Tomy Thomas, and their daughter continue to await news, steadfast in their belief in her innocence. “My wife is very good, she is very loving,” he said. “That is the sole reason I am with her, supporting her and will do so till the end.”
As the situation unfolds, the international community watches closely, with ongoing calls for justice and humanitarian considerations in a country beset by conflict and instability.
