- By Nidhi Giri
- Wed, 01 Jan 2025 11:50 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Nimisha Priya Case: India is “extending all possible help" to Nimisha Priya, a 36-year-old trained nurse hailing from Kollengode in Kerala’s Palakkad district, who has been awarded the death sentence in Yemen. Priya's death sentence was approved by Yemen President Rashad al-Alimi this week, and her execution is scheduled to take place within a month. India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that the government is aware of the sentencing of Nimisha Priya in Yemen. “We understand that the family of Priya is exploring relevant options. The government is extending all possible help in the matter," Jaiswal said.
Nimisha Priya was found guilty of killing Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi and has been in prison since 2017. She was sentenced to death by a trial court in Yemen in 2018 and her family has been fighting for her release since then.
Nimisha Priya Case: What Is The ‘Blood Money’ Agreement?
According to Sharia law, a victim of a crime or their family can choose to forgive the perpetrator for monetary compensation, reported The Indian Express. This ‘blood money’ or ‘diyya’ is a pardon for the person who committed a crime, securing their release. Nimisha Priya's family has sought a 'blood money' deal, a compensation arrangement to secure her release.
In 2018, a trial court in Sana’a sentenced her to death. In November 2023, Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council upheld the death sentence, but it left open the possibility of avoiding execution through blood money. This is the sliver of hope that the family has been trying to use to save the nurse’s life.
“For the past seven years, we have been trying every possible legal way to seek pardon and bring Nimisha home alive. Our child was just two-years-old when this happened. She has seen her photographs and speaks over video calls, but she needs the support and love of a mother. We are hoping that we can connect to the family of Talal Abdo Mahdi and find a solution. We are ready to offer ‘diya’ (blood money) in return for the life of my wife," said Tomy Thomas, Nimisha’s husband.
“We are trying to get my wife back so that we can live as one family again. In my heart, I know. I strongly believe that the discussions will reach a point where we can discuss ‘diya’ or blood money. I am positive. I refuse to give up hope. My wife is a good human being. She is of a very caring and helpful nature. But we are caught in this, now we are trying to arrive at a settlement to try and save Nimisha’s life," her husband told News18.
Nimisha Priya Case: Progress Till Now
In November 2023, a USD 40,000 payment was made to get negotiations started on Nimisha Priya's behalf. Her family will likely have to pay close to USD 400,000 more in order to waive the death penalty, reported The Indian Express.
In 2020, the ‘Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council’ was formed, and they are currently trying to raise the funds required to secure her release.
Subhash Chandran KR, a Supreme Court lawyer who appeared for Priya’s mother Prema Kumari in the Delhi high court, said the Indian government’s intervention in the matter will help delay the execution of the death sentence and bring the victim’s family to the negotiation table.
Nimisha Priya Case: What Was The Crime?
Nimisha Priya moved to Yemen in 2008 and married Tomy Thomas in Kerala in 2011. They wanted to open their own clinic but Yemeni law requires a local partner in order to do that. Talal Abdo Mahdi, was a regular at the clinic where Nimisha Priya worked and asked him for help in the matter, and he obliged.
While Nimisha Priya managed to return to Yemen, the civil war that began in 2014 kept her husband and daughter in Kerala.
In Yemen, Mahdi opened a new clinic but reportedly refused to share any of the earnings with Nimisha Priya. He also allegedly forged documents to present her as his wife and even physically and sexually abused her, news agency ANI reported. Nimisha Priya eventually took to sedating him and caused a drug overdose that killed the man.
