Tue Dec 31 09:30:50 UTC 2024: ## Indian Nurse Faces Execution in Yemen Despite Government Efforts
**Sana’a, Yemen/New Delhi, India –** Indian nurse Nimisha Priya has been sentenced to death in Yemen and is scheduled for execution within a month, sparking urgent pleas from the Indian government and her family. President Rashad al-Alimi signed off on the death sentence, upholding the 2017 conviction for the murder of Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed its awareness of the sentence and stated it is providing all possible assistance to Priya’s family. Her mother, Prema Kumari, has been in Sana’a since earlier this year attempting to negotiate blood money with Mahdi’s family to secure her daughter’s release. These negotiations stalled in September after disagreements over legal fees with the Indian Embassy-appointed lawyer, Abdullah Ameer.
Priya, 36, a native of Palakkad, Kerala, had worked in Yemen before the country’s civil war forced her husband and child to return to India in 2014. She later partnered with Mahdi to establish a clinic, but disputes over finances and allegations of harassment and physical abuse led to the fatal incident in 2017. Priya’s appeals, including to the Yemeni Supreme Court, have been rejected. Her family contends that Mahdi manipulated their relationship and embezzled her funds, ultimately leading to a wrongful conviction.
The Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council raised funds for Ameer’s legal fees, but concerns over transparency in the handling of these funds further complicated matters. The impending execution now places immense pressure on the Indian government to secure Priya’s release, leaving her family desperate for a last-minute reprieve.
First Piper 