Nimisha Priya, 36, currently faces the death row in a month's time.

Hailing from Palakkad’s Kollengode district, Nimisha Priya left for Yemen in 2008 in the hopes of helping her daily wage labourer parents. After working in several hospitals in the country, she planned to start a clinic of her own. With the help of her local partner Talal Abdo Mahdi, they started a clinic in 2015.

In 2017, Nimisha had a disagreement with Mahdi, who allegedly abused and tortured her. Her family claimed that she had opposed Mahdi’s alleged attempts to embezzle funds. Nimisha allegedly injected him with sedatives in an attempt to reclaim her passport, which was confiscated by the Yemeni citizen. An overdose of the sedative resulted in his death.

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While attempting to flee the country, Nimisha was arrested and convicted in 2018. Two years later, she was sentenced to death by a trial court in the Yemeni capital. In November 2023, Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council dismissed her appeal while keeping the option of blood money open.

Yemen President Rashad al-Alimi on Monday approved the death sentence for Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, who was convicted of murdering a Yemeni citizen. According to reports, the sentence will be executed in a month’s time.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the government is aware of the sentencing of Nimisha. “We understand that the family of Priya is exploring relevant options. The government is extending all possible help in the matter,” he added.

Shattering the hopes of the Kerala nurses’ family, who made consistent efforts to save the 36-year-old from death row, Yemen’s announcement has come as a shock for many. Nimisha’s mother, Prema Kumari, had arrived at Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, earlier this year to secure a waiver of the death penalty and negotiate the blood money with the victim’s family.

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However, negotiations with the victim’s family went in vain in September after Abdullah Ameer, the lawyer appointed by the Indian Embassy, demanded a pre-negotiation fee of $20,000 (approximately Rs16.6 lakh), according to a report by Manorama Online. MEA has already provided $19,871 to Ameer in July, but he insisted on a total fee of $40,000, payable in two instalments before he would resume talks.

The Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, comprising NRI social workers based in Yemen, succeeded in raising the first instalment of the lawyer’s fee through crowdfunding. However, later they reportedly faced challenges in ensuring transparency to donors about how the funds were being used.