Mon Jan 06 15:25:42 IST 2025: **Indian Medical Forum Urges Government to Repatriate Nurse Facing Death Penalty in Yemen**
NEW DELHI, January 6, 2025 – The Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum (PMSF) has called on the Indian government to secure the release of Nimisha Priya, a Kerala nurse facing the death penalty in Yemen on charges of murder. The PMSF argues that Priya, a victim of exploitation within a transnational economic system, should not be held responsible for actions taken under duress.
Priya’s case, according to the PMSF, highlights the vulnerability of Indian healthcare workers who, driven by low wages and precarious work conditions in India’s private healthcare sector, seek employment abroad. Many face exploitation and dangerous working conditions, especially in the Middle East. The forum contends that Priya’s situation escalated from economic exploitation to physical and sexual torture after her business partner seized her passport and enslaved her following the breakdown of law and order during Yemen’s civil war.
Siddharth Tara, chairperson of PMSF, stated that Priya’s actions should be viewed as resistance to oppression rather than a crime. The Forum is demanding that the Indian government treat its medical professionals as valuable human capital, not cheap labor, and invest in strengthening the domestic public healthcare system to prevent similar situations from occurring. They believe that a robust public system would provide better job security and financial stability, reducing the need for Indian healthcare workers to seek potentially exploitative employment overseas.
First Piper 