The Indian government has confirmed that an Indian nurse, Nimishapriya, has been sentenced to death by the Supreme Court in Sana'a, Yemen, which is controlled by the Houthi group, designated as a terrorist organization by several countries.

The news was announced on Friday, July 26, 2024, by India's Minister of State for External Affairs, Kiren Rijiju. in a statement seen by "Barran Press",He stated, "The Supreme Court in Sana'a has sentenced Nimishapriya, the Indian nurse, to death on charges of killing a Yemeni citizen. The matter regarding the execution of the death sentence is currently with the President of the Governing Council in Sana'a."

Rijiju assured that the Indian government is providing all possible assistance in the case, including seeking consular access to Nimishapriya in prison and providing legal representation for her case.

The 35-year-old nurse from Kerala, South India, was convicted in 2020 for the murder of her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abde Mehdi, in 2017. Nimishapriya's family is seeking to travel to Yemen to negotiate blood money (diya) after the Sana'a Supreme Court rejected an appeal against her conviction.

According to reports, Nimishapriya was accused of injecting Mehdi with an overdose of sedatives to gain possession of her passport. While attempting to render him unconscious, she accidentally killed him. She then allegedly dismembered his body with the help of a Yemeni colleague, Hanan, before disposing of it in a water tank.

Nimishapriya was sentenced to death in 2018, while Hanan received a life sentence. Nimishapriya is a mother of an eight-year-old child and has been working in Sana'a since 2011.

The Indian government has appointed a lawyer for Nimishapriya and has filed a petition for a review of the sentence. However, the Yemeni Supreme Court rejected the appeal against her death sentence on October 11, 2023.

The family has appealed to the Delhi High Court for permission to travel to Yemen, as Indian citizens have been barred from traveling to the country since 2017 due to the ongoing civil war. The Delhi High Court has urged the Indian government to make a decision within a week on whether to allow Nimishapriya's mother to travel to Yemen.

The case has drawn attention to the plight of Indian nationals abroad facing legal challenges in conflict zones. The Indian government's efforts to secure consular access and provide legal representation are crucial in ensuring the safety and well-being of its citizens.