Indian Nurse’s Death Sentence in Yemen: A Complex Legal and Diplomatic Battle

Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala, faces execution in Sanaa, Yemen, on July 16, 2025, following her conviction in the 2017 killing of a Yemeni citizen. The case has been beset by legal and diplomatic complexities from the beginning. The Indian government has been attempting to resolve the matter. However, no concrete success has been achieved. Nimisha has largely exhausted her legal options, and her last hope rests on ‘Diya’, or blood money, a solution with a limited window of opportunity. She initially moved to Yemen in 2008 with her family, later staying behind to manage finances. She opened a clinic in 2014, partnering with Talal Abdo Mahdi. Nimisha claimed that Mahdi harassed her and took her passport. In 2017, she gave him sedatives to reclaim her passport, which led to his death. The Indian government has been involved throughout the case, but faces significant obstacles due to the area being under Houthi rebel control. Additional attempts, including Priya’s mother’s travel to Yemen and efforts to negotiate a ‘Diya’ settlement, have not succeeded. Priya’s fate now hinges on the victim’s family’s acceptance of ‘Diya’, the sole remaining avenue to avoid the death penalty under Yemeni law.