Nimisha Priya, a 36-year-old nurse from Kerala, has been sentenced to death in Yemen for the 2017 murder of Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi. The execution, which has been approved by Yemen’s President Rashad al-Alimi, is expected to take place within the next month. The case has garnered widespread attention in India, where the government is exploring all avenues to assist her.
Priya’s conviction stems from an incident in July 2017, when she allegedly tried to retrieve her passport, which Mahdi had seized, by drugging him. The intent was reportedly to knock him unconscious, but Mahdi died from an overdose of sedatives. Afterward, Priya and her colleague, Hanan, are said to have dismembered Mahdi’s body and disposed of it in a water tank. In 2018, a Yemeni court sentenced Priya to death, and this verdict was upheld by the Yemeni Supreme Court in 2023.
Priya’s journey to Yemen began in 2011 when she moved there to work as a nurse in Sana’a. Her husband and young daughter returned to India in 2014 due to financial difficulties, and Yemen’s ongoing civil conflict prevented their reunion. Alone in Yemen, Priya later partnered with Mahdi to open a clinic, a legal requirement for foreign nationals in the country. However, Mahdi allegedly manipulated documents to falsely claim that he was married to Priya and subjected her to physical and emotional abuse, including torture, threats, and controlling behavior. Despite reporting the abuse to local authorities, Priya found no help and was instead arrested, with the police taking Mahdi’s side.
Desperate to retrieve her passport and escape the abusive situation, Priya reportedly sought help from a local jail warden, who suggested sedating Mahdi. Tragically, the overdose led to Mahdi’s death, resulting in Priya’s arrest and conviction. The situation remains dire, and international attention is focused on potential diplomatic efforts to intervene on her behalf.
