Fri Jan 03 06:17:07 UTC 2025: ## Iran Pledges Assistance in Case of Indian Nurse Facing Death Sentence in Yemen
**New Delhi/Sana’a** – Iran has vowed to intervene in the case of Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse sentenced to death in Yemen, a senior Iranian official announced Thursday. Priya, 37, was convicted of murdering a Yemeni citizen in 2017, a charge she contests. The official stated Iran would utilize all available avenues to assist Priya on humanitarian grounds, noting the charge might be manslaughter.
Priya, from Kerala, India, is currently imprisoned in Sana’a, the Yemeni capital controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. A Yemeni court issued the death sentence in 2020, upheld by the Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023, and recently approved by President Rashad al-Alimi. The alleged murder involved an overdose of sedatives administered to retrieve Priya’s passport.
India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed the government is providing all possible assistance to Priya and her family, who are exploring legal options. Priya’s mother, Prema Kumari, currently in Sana’a, issued an emotional plea to the Indian government for her daughter’s life, highlighting the urgency of the situation. The situation underscores the high stakes and international attention focused on Priya’s fate.
First Piper 