Nimisha Priya Faces Execution in Yemen on July 16

Thiruvananthapuram: Nimisha Priya, a nurse hailing from Palakkad, is facing the death penalty in Yemen, with her execution scheduled for July 16. The confirmation of the execution order by the Yemeni public prosecutor and its submission to prison authorities has made the situation dire. Her only remaining hope now rests on obtaining a pardon from the victim's family, who are demanding one million dollars as diyya (blood money).

Nimisha had moved to Yemen in 2011 and went on to start a medical clinic in Sana’a in 2015 with the sponsorship of a Yemeni national named Talal. Financial difficulties forced her husband and daughter to return to India a year earlier, in 2014. Over the following years, Talal allegedly forged marriage documents and subjected Nimisha to sustained physical and psychological abuse. Reports suggest he seized her passport, blackmailed her, and extorted money.

Desperate to escape the abuse and reclaim her passport, Nimisha reportedly attempted to sedate Talal. The situation spiraled out of control, resulting in Talal's death. She was arrested in July 2017 and charged with murder, allegedly carried out with the help of an accomplice.

A Yemeni trial court sentenced her to death in 2020. Appeals to higher courts were unsuccessful, and in 2023, the Supreme Judicial Council upheld the original verdict. With all judicial options exhausted, Nimisha’s fate now hinges on diplomatic efforts and a possible reconciliation with the victim’s family.