Relatives of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya are urgently working to prevent her execution in Yemen. Scheduled for Wednesday, her death sentence has captured significant attention in Indian media. Priya was sentenced to death for the 2017 murder of her former business partner, a Yemeni national, whose remains were found in a water tank. A court in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, handed down the sentence in 2020, and her family has been striving for her release since then.
The situation is complicated by the absence of formal diplomatic relations between New Delhi and the Houthis, who have governed Sanaa since the civil war erupted in 2014. As the deadline for her execution approaches, human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have urged the Houthis to refrain from carrying out the sentence. On Monday, the organization called for an immediate moratorium on all executions in Yemen, emphasizing that “the death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.”
In accordance with Yemen’s Islamic laws, Priya could potentially receive clemency if the victim’s family pardons her and accepts a financial compensation known as “diyah.” Samuel Joseph, a social worker aiding her family, expressed optimism about the situation, citing the involvement of the Indian government and local support. “I am optimistic,” said Joseph, who has lived in Yemen since 1999. “We got people who are helping, and the government of India is directly involved.”
The case against Priya alleges that she injected her business partner with a lethal dose of sedatives. Her family contends that she acted in self-defense against an abusive partner who withheld her passport during the ongoing conflict. Joseph noted that Priya’s trial was conducted in Arabic without the provision of a translator.
In 2020, a group of activists and lawyers established the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council to raise funds and negotiate with the victim’s family. Rafeek Ravuthar, a member of the council, acknowledged the difficulties in negotiations, underscoring the lack of an Indian embassy in Yemen. “Negotiations have been a challenge,” he said. So far, the council has raised approximately 5 million rupees (nearly $58,000) to assist in her case.
Recent appeals for intervention have come from politicians in Priya’s home state of Kerala. Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to take action. “Considering the fact this is a case deserving sympathy, I appeal to the Hon’ble Prime Minister to take up the matter,” Vijayan stated in his letter.
India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, addressed the situation in the upper house of parliament, asserting that the government prioritizes the welfare of Indians abroad. He indicated that the matter of Priya’s potential release rests between the families involved.
Nimisha Priya arrived in Yemen in 2008, joining millions from Kerala seeking better job opportunities in the Middle East. She initially worked as a nurse and aspired to establish her own clinic. With financial support from her husband, Tomy Thomas, she opened a clinic in Sanaa in 2014. “We lived a normal happy married life,” Thomas remarked. “My wife was very loving, hardworking, and faithful in all that she did.”
As the political climate in Yemen deteriorated, the Houthis seized control of the capital, leading to a protracted civil war. Despite the escalating violence and insecurity, Priya chose to remain in Yemen, determined to retain her business and support her family.
The lack of formal diplomatic relations between India and the Houthis has complicated efforts to provide assistance. All consular matters related to Yemen are managed through the Indian Embassy in Djibouti, which has created barriers for those seeking help, legal aid, or protection in Yemen.
Yemen is one of the top five countries for executions, according to Amnesty International. The organization reported that the Houthis executed at least one person in 2024, though the actual number may be higher. Priya’s mother, a domestic worker from Kerala, has been in Yemen for over a year to help facilitate negotiations for her daughter’s release. Priya’s husband and young daughter remain in Kerala, holding onto hope for her return.
“My wife is very good, she is very loving,” Thomas said. “That is the sole reason I am with her, supporting her and will do so till the end.”
