Government Expresses Regret Over Nurse Execution, Cites Limited Options
The family of the Yemeni man has been offered $1 million (approximately Rs 8.6 crore) as ‘blood money’.
There is not much more the government can do to stop the execution of Nimisha Priya – the Kerala nurse sentenced to death by Yemen for killing a man harassing her – the Supreme Court was told Monday.
“It is unfortunate… but there is a limit on what we can do,” the federal government said Monday, “The only way is if the family (of the Yemeni man) agrees to accept the ‘blood money’ (i.e., financial compensation).”
Who is Nimisha Priya?
Nimisha Priya is a nurse from Kerala who went to Yemen in 2008 for better job opportunities. She was working as a nurse in Sana’a, Yemen’s capital.
What is the case about?
In 2017, Nimisha Priya was arrested and later sentenced to death by a Yemeni court for the murder of a Yemeni national, Khalaf Al-Azzi. Reports say she killed him by injecting sedatives into his body so she could retrieve her passport, which he allegedly took to prevent her from leaving the country. The situation escalated when he died from the injection.
Nimisha claimed she acted out of desperation after suffering severe harassment and abuse from Al-Azzi.
What is ‘blood money’?
Under Yemeni law, the death penalty can be waived if the victim’s family agrees to accept diyya — ‘blood money’ — as compensation for the life lost. In Nimisha’s case, the victim’s family has reportedly demanded around $1 million (Rs 8.6 crore) to forgive her and allow her repatriation.
Current status:
The Indian government has told the Supreme Court that its options are limited, as the case is under Yemen’s local laws. The only path left is a settlement with the victim’s family. Meanwhile, her family and well-wishers are racing against time to arrange the huge sum needed to save her life.
