Several attempts are being made to rescue Nimisha Priya, a 37-year-old Kerala nurse, who is on death row in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, for being convicted in a murder case. India’s efforts in this regard are, however, hindered by the fact that it does not have official diplomatic relations with the Houthis, the rebel forces who now control much of Yemen.
Though India has diplomatic relations with Yemen’s internationally recognized government, the Presidential Leadership Council, the Houthis function under another authority referred to as the Supreme Political Council.
What is Being Done by India to Assist?
After Priya was convicted and sentenced to death by a trial court, the Supreme Judicial Council of the Houthi-held area confirmed the verdict in 2023. There was confusion when it was reported that President Rashad al-Alimi, the leader of the recognised Yemen government, had ‘approved’ the capital punishment. But Yemen’s embassy in Delhi later stated that the case belonged to the Houthi domain.
The Indian government has already told Parliament that it was providing complete assistance to Nimisha Priya’s family, which are from Palakkad district of Kerala. But talks have been getting stalled because of the lack of direct diplomatic relations with the Houthis.
India has been ‘following the case closely since she was sentenced to death’, a source told HT, adding, “We have been in regular contact with the Yemeni authorities and her family members and provided all possible support.” Nevertheless, there has yet to be a major development on revoking the order for execution.
Attempts of her family and Rights Organizations
Nimisha Priya’s mother, Premakumari, even went to Yemen last year and was said to have depended on local connections and word of mouth to try out the possibility of offering ‘blood money’, a payment permitted under Yemeni law for apologising to the victim’s family. But this avenue has reached a dead end, the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council informed The News Minute.
According to the TNM report, the council revealed that they offered paying approximately $1 million (around ₹8.5 crore), but until now, the family of the victim has not said what amount they would settle for. The council members said they are going to contact the family ‘within the next two days’.
Meanwhile, social worker Samuel Jerome Baskaran, assisting in negotiations with Yemeni authorities and Talal’s family, testified to news sources that a public prosecutor’s letter ordering the jail authorities to conduct the execution had been sent.
The Case Against Nimisha Priya
Priya initially went to Yemen in 2008 as a nurse. She got married to an Indian man in 2011, but he and their daughter went back to India in 2014 because of financial difficulties, leaving Priya in Yemen as she attempted to set up her own clinic.
The same year, Houthis took over Sana’a, keeping her husband and child from returning. In an effort to abide by local regulations stipulating the need for a Yemeni partner to start a clinic, Priya formed a business agreement with Talal Abdo Mahdi.
But Mahdi is also accused of having tampered with documents to pose as Priya’s husband. She also accused him of physical and psychological abuse, alleging that he took away her passport, withdrew funds from the clinic, and used drugs to manipulate her.
In an attempt to free herself from his clutches, Priya turned to a jail warden for help and administered sedatives to Mahdi, which turned out to be lethal due to overdose and cost him his life.