NIMISHA PRIYA: AN UNSEEN STRUGGLE

NIMISHA PRIYA: AN UNSEEN STRUGGLE

Nimisha Priya, an ordinary Indian Nurse from Kerala, who moved to Yemen, a middle East Country in search of a better livelihood in 2008. In 2011, she returns back to Kerala and gets married. Nimisha and her husband, both move to Yemen in 2011. Her husband was an ordinary electrician and they both wanted to open their own clinic in Yemen. And the real story begins here. A person named ‘Talal Abdo Mehdi’, citizen of Yemen comes in picture and turns Nimisha’s simple and peaceful life into a nightmare. A dream of opening a small clinic with the objective of treating people and securing their lives reverses badly into a disaster that Nimisha Priya couldn’t think of. Her career in paramedical field makes her a murderer and now on 16 July 2025, her death awaits her. Let’s understand what actually made Nimisha, a criminal and what are the steps that have been taken so far by the Indian Government to save her?

1. Background of this Incident:

In Yemen, Nimisha planned to set up her own small clinic, as previously said. In yemen, it is a rule that if any outsider wants to open a business then he will have to enter into a partnership with any of the local citizens of Yemen. Same happened with Nimisha also. She took help from Talal Abdo Mehdi, who was working in the same hospital where Nimisha was employed.

Connection grew among the three- the husband of Nimisha, Talal and Nimisha to such an extent that in 2015 Talal even came to attend the Baptism ceremony of Nimisha’s daughter in Kerala. After attending the Baptism ceremony, Nimisha leaves for Yemen but this time her husband and her daughter didn’t accompany her. Because civil war broke out in Yemen, which prevented both of them from visiting again.

After reaching Yemen, Nimisha and Mehdi together opened the clinic. But shortly, Mehdi developed a sense of greediness and denied to share the income accrued from the clinic, with Nimisha. And as per the statements given by Nimisha’s family, Mehdi had made forged documents which showed Nimisha as his wife. Using of forged documents and calling Nimisha as his wife was nothing but a deceitful act on the part of Mehdi so that he could gain all the profits earned by the clinic and can take advantage of her. On repeated demands made by Nimisha to Mehdi regarding the sharing of income equally, infuriated Mehdi, and he started abusing her physically and sexually.

2. Acts that provoked Nimisha to commit Murder:

Nimisha was unable to return back to India as her passports and other documents were falsely under control of Mehdi. She was not even able to contact with her family residing in Kerala because he had snatched her phone from her. Physical and Mental Abuse was inflicted on Nimisha on a daily basis. Nimisha in order to protect herself, also made complaints to local police but the concerned authorities didn’t take any action against Mehdi. After losing all the hopes of getting justice, she finally thought to take action herself.

Hannan, fellow of Nimisha and the next character of this story acted as a helping hand for Nimisha. As she was a nurse by profession, she knew better how to faint someone. She made a plan that by fainting Mehdi, she will take all her important documents from his home and will flee that country. And accordingly, she injected an injection in Mehdi’s body and as expected, he became unconscious. And that’s where the mistake occurred.

Mistakenly, they gave him overdose of the medicine and due to this his death was caused. Seeing him died, both got panicked and due to fear of being caught, they chopped his dead body and dumped it into the water tank which was in Mehdi’s house itself.

3. Arrest and Conviction:

Nimisha priya and her friend were arrested as soon as the secret of murder came to scene. According to Yemini reports, Hannah was sentenced for 3 years of imprisonment and then acquitted. On the other hand, Nimisha was sentenced to death Penalty by Trial Court of Sanaa, a place in Yemen. She has also made a confession in which she accepted the murder of Mehdi but also said that it was only an accident and she didn’t intend to kill him.

She appealed to the Supreme Court of Yemen for commuting the death sentence but her appeal was dismissed and death penalty was upheld. Subsequently, she made an appeal to the President of Yemen, who denied her request for a pardon. And with this, her last hope of getting free was also ended.

4. ‘DIYAH’- the only option for Nimisha:

After all legal options have been exhausted, Nimisha’s last option is to pay the blood money or ‘Diyah’, according to the Islamic law.

In Islamic law, various punishments have been given for punishing criminals of various crimes. And Diyah is one of them which is given for Murder. The concept of Blood money can be traced from the Holy Quran where it is clearly written that –

“In cases of wrongful killing, justice has been decreed for you: a life, whether free, enslaved, or female, must be answered for with another life. However, the relatives of the deceased may receive just and gracious compensation if they decide to forgive. This deed of kindness is a holy gift from your Lord: it serves as a reminder of the wisdom of forgiveness and an invitation to choose compassion over retaliation.” _ [2:178].

This option of blood money is available to the closest relation or guardian of the deceased. They can forgive the offender after taking the ‘blood money’ from the offender.

In this case, Mehdi’s brother is the one who is in closest relation with him and therefore he could only make her acquit by forgiving her, but as per the reports the blood money is not being accepted by the deceased’s family.

5. Steps taken by Indian Government in order to Save her:

1. In 2020, a council named ‘Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council’ was formed who is raising funds for paying the blood money to the victim’s family.

2. Ministry of External Affairs is continuously checking the progress in the case and trying their level best to halt her execution.

3. Due to the ongoing civil war in Yemen ban on transport, it is proving difficult for the Indian government to start a peaceful and effective negotiation with the family of Mehdi.

4. According to the Indian reports, payment of $40,000 is being made so that the negotiations with Mehdi’s family could start.

Conclusion:

The story of Nimisha Priya serves as a moving reminder of the unnoticed hardships that migrant workers-especially women- face when they are employed abroad. In addition to personal adversity, her journey from a nurse to a prisoner illuminates the intricate realities of cross border exploitation, desperation, and justice. Even though her actions had devastating results, they also highlighted the structural flaws that can put people in precarious situations, it emphasizes how urgently better support systems, legal assistance, and education are needed for people who labour abroad, frequently in precarious situations. Despite being tragic, her story is not unique, it is a reflection of the quiet agony endured by many people who are not given a voice.

References:

• Execution of Indian nurse in Yemen, available at; https://www.thehindu.com (last visited on 14 July 2025

• Death Sentence Given To NImisha Priya, available at; https://www.ensureias.com (last visited on 14 July 2025)

• Execution of Indian nurse in Yemen, available at; https://www.thehindu.com (last visited on 14 July 2025)

• Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya to be executed, available at; https://m.economictimes.com (last visited on 14 July 2025)

• Diyah| Definition, Punishment &compensation, available at; https://www.britannica.com (last visited on 14 July 2025)

• The Quran- 2:178

• Last-minute efforts are underway in Yemen to Save Kerala nurse, available at; https://www.thestatesman.com (last visited on 14 July 2025)

• Blog| The Longest Fight: The Unseen Struggles to save Nimisha Priya, available at; https://www.ndtv.com (last visited on 14 July 2025)