NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday said it is extending all possible help to explore relevant options in the case of an Indian nurse, Nimisha Priya facing death sentence in Yemen.
MEA's response follows Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi’s approval on Monday of the Kerala nurse's death sentence. She was convicted of murdering a Yemeni citizen.
According to reports, the execution is expected to take place within a month.
“We are aware of the sentencing of Ms. Nimisha Priya in Yemen. We understand that her family is exploring relevant options,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
“The government is extending all possible help in the matter,” he added.
Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kollengode in the Palakkad district of Kerala, moved to Yemen in 2008. She worked at several hospitals in the country and later planned to establish her own clinic.
In 2017, she had a fallout with her local partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi. According to her family, she opposed his alleged attempts to embezzle funds.
In an attempt to reclaim her passport, which had been confiscated by the Yemeni national, she allegedly injected him with sedatives. However, an overdose of the sedatives resulted in his death.
She was arrested while attempting to flee Yemen and was convicted in 2018. In 2020, a trial court in Sana’a sentenced her to death.