An urgent request for diplomatic action
PM Narendra Modi has been urged by the Indian National Congress to personally step in and save the Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who is on Yemen’s death row. In a last-ditch attempt to obtain a pardon under Islamic law, Priya’s family has rushed to donate $1 million in “blood money” (diya) to the victim’s family as her execution date approaches.
Why India Is Startled by This Case
One of the most complicated foreign legal issues involving an Indian person is Priya’s conviction for the 2017 murder of a Yemeni individual, which she says was an accident during a failed passport recovery. The Congress party argues that quiet diplomacy, like Modi’s 2021 intervention for 8 ex-Navy personnel in Qatar, could be her only hope.
The Hail Mary, worth $1 million
Negotiations are halted due to political concerns with the Houthi rebels that control Sana’a and the amount of compensation, even though Yemeni law allows the relatives of victims to receive it. While Kerala NGOs crowdfund, Priya’s mother, a retired nurse, has mortgaged family assets, but there is not much time left.
More Important Questions
The case exposes gaps in India’s consular protection for workers in conflict zones. With 8M+ Indian expats in the Gulf, activists demand a structured crisis response for such emergencies.
