Government Refutes Claims of Clemency for Indian Nurse in Yemen
The case of Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse on death row in Yemen, has been plunged into confusion following conflicting reports about her sentence. India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has refuted claims made by the office of the Grand Mufti of India that Priya's death sentence had been officially cancelled. The government's clarification indicates that the information being circulated is inaccurate.
Conflicting Statements Create Uncertainty
The confusion began when the Grand Mufti's office announced that a high-level meeting in Sanaa had decided to overturn the death sentence against Priya. This news was widely circulated, offering a moment of hope. However, government sources quickly stepped in to correct the record, stating that the claims were not true. The Grand Mufti's office later clarified that it had not yet received official written confirmation from Yemeni authorities.
The Background of the Case
Nimisha Priya, a 38-year-old nurse from Kerala, was convicted in 2018 for the murder of her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, in 2017. Priya has maintained that she was subjected to harassment and abuse by Mahdi, who had allegedly confiscated her passport. According to her testimony, she attempted to sedate him to retrieve her documents, which resulted in his fatal overdose.
She was sentenced to death in 2020. Her execution, scheduled for July 16, was temporarily halted following diplomatic interventions and a direct appeal for clemency from the Grand Mufti. Despite these ongoing efforts, the latest official statement from the MEA confirms that her death sentence remains in place, leaving her fate uncertain.
