The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said it is making “concerted efforts” to assist Nimisha Priya, a Kerala-born nurse turned entrepreneur who is currently lodged in a Yemeni jail and faces imminent execution following her conviction in a 2017 murder case. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday confirmed that the Indian government has been actively involved in extending legal support and engaging with Yemeni authorities, as well as with friendly foreign governments, in an attempt to secure clemency.
“The Government of India has been offering all possible assistance. We have provided legal assistance and appointed a lawyer to assist the family. We are in touch with local authorities and her family to resolve this issue,” Jaiswal said at a weekly press briefing. “This included concerted efforts in the last few days to seek more time for her family to reach a mutually agreeable solution with the other party.”
He added that India would continue to monitor the situation closely and provide all possible support to the family.
Priya, who moved to Yemen in 2008 to support her family back home, initially worked as a nurse before setting up her clinic. Her troubles began in 2017 when a business dispute erupted with her Yemeni partner, Mehdi. She allegedly administered sedatives to him in an attempt to retrieve her confiscated passport. The sedatives reportedly proved fatal.
Priya was arrested while trying to leave the country and was convicted of murder in 2018. A Yemeni court sentenced her to death in 2020, a verdict that was upheld by the Supreme Judicial Council of Yemen in November 2023.
However, under Yemeni law, there remains a narrow window for clemency through a blood money arrangement, where the victim’s family agrees to pardon in exchange for compensation.
Following reports that an execution date had been set, politicians across party lines in Kerala have appealed to the Union government and the President of India for immediate intervention.
Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to use all diplomatic channels to secure a stay on the execution. Opposition leaders have also echoed similar demands, pressing for humanitarian considerations in Priya’s case.
Human rights groups have flagged the case as urgent, noting both the complexities of international law and the limited access India has in war-torn Yemen, where diplomatic presence is minimal.
