India seeks diplomatic resolution as Yemeni court sets July 16 execution for nurse
New Delhi: Indian government sources on Tuesday confirmed that the Ministry of External Affairs has continued to stay in close touch with Yemeni authorities as well as the family of Nimisha Priya, a 37-year-old Kerala nurse, who is to be executed in Yemen on July 16. Priya was convicted in 2018 for killing Yemeni citizen Talal Abdo Mehdi and has been on death row since a local court convicted her of giving a lethal drug overdose as part of an attempt to reclaim her passport. The MEA is rendering consular services and keeping a close watch over the developments in the case, although diplomatic channels are still limited owing to the legal complexities of the Yemeni judiciary, government sources informed.
Priya’s charge is based on an incident where she joined forces with Talal, a Yemeni national, to start a medical clinic—a legal requirement for foreign nationals working in the country. Accounts have it that their professional relationship turned sour, prompting Priya to allegedly sedate Talal to get back her passport, which he allegedly withheld. The scheme turned ugly when Talal succumbed to an overdose of the sedative. Later, Priya and her Yemeni counterpart, Hanan, were blamed for cutting his body into pieces and hiding them in a water tank. Samuel Jerome Baskaran, a social worker who was taking part in talks with Yemeni authorities and Talal’s relatives, said a written notice from Yemen’s public prosecutor had been sent to prison authorities announcing the imminent execution. The Indian government, meanwhile, reaffirmed its willingness to seek all possible means to help Priya, although it did acknowledge the obstacles created by the legal case in Yemen. Priya’s case has also highlighted the vulnerabilities of Indian nationals employed abroad in jurisdictions with unstable legal systems. With the execution date near, her family and advocates are still making appeals for clemency while the authorities reiterate diplomatic moves to find a solution.
