Nimisha Priya case in Yemen: “We will do whatever we can,” says highly placed Iranian official

Iran pledges to assist in saving Indian nurse Nimisha Priya from death sentence in Yemen, amid complex geopolitical dynamics.

“Iran will “take up” the case of the Indian nurse Nimisha Priya who has been given a death sentence in Yemen,” a highly placed Iranian official assured, in New Delhi, on Thursday (January 2, 2025.) The case is being tried in Sanaa, the administrative capital of Yemen which is under the control of the Iran-aligned Houthi militants and the declaration of assistance by the Iranian official might help India in saving the life of the nurse.

“We will take up this issue regarding this nurse. We will do whatever we can,” said the senior Iranian official in response to a question from The Hindu while meeting representatives of various media organisations in the Iranian embassy here. The visiting dignitary, who is leading an Iranian team to hold Foreign Office Consultations with Indian diplomats, received a quick briefing from an accompanying colleague regarding the allegations against Nimisha Priya before giving assurance regarding the case. Official sources in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had earlier told The Hindu that the case was tricky as India did not have official ties with the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels and it is understood Iranian support in this regard could make a crucial difference.

The death sentence against Nimisha Priya was approved last Monday by the President of Yemen Rashad Al Alimi and the execution is expected to be carried out within a month. The senior Iranian official also acknowledged the seriousness of the case and noted that the matter pertains to “manslaughter” as Ms Priya was convicted for killing her business partner Talal Abdo Mahdi in 2017. Earlier the Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Randhir Jaiswal had saidthat the MEA has been aware that the family of Ms. Priya is currently “exploring relevant options” hinting at settling the case through the payment of blood money, which is an established mode of settling criminal cases in Yemen.

However, officials had been cautious about the case because of the fractured status of Yemen which is being controlled by three entities with the Iran-aligned Houthis being effectively in charge of the administrative capital Sanaa that has all the important institutions including the judicial system of Yemen. Nimisha Priya is reportedly being held at the Central Prison in Sanaa. The Houthis control nearly 25 percent of the Yemeni territory that holds almost half the population of the country.The Saudi-backed government and the the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) are other two entities that control the rest of Yemen.

The case which dates back to at least a decade started as a difficult partnership between Nimisha Priya and Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi when the latter supported her to set up a clinic. The partnership however soured subsequently and she alleged that Mahdi had become abusive and took possession of her Indian passport. In 2017, Nimisha Priya tried to retrieve the passport by drugging Mahdi but the attempt led to Mahdi’s death. Following the incident, Ms Priya reportedly with local assistance dismembered the body of Mr Mahdi. She was handed a death sentence in 2018 that was subsequently upheld in 2023.

Houthis who are officially known as the Ansar Allah, a Zaidi Shia movement with strong religious, ideological and strategic ties to Iran have been in news because of their strident anti-Israel position. The Houthi locations are also being bombed by Israel, the US and the UK forces as the Ansar Allah have been targeting western assets in the region.  The Iranian delegation in town is expected to discuss several issues of bilateral importance including the situation in the Gaza Strip where Israeli attacks have continued since the Israel-Palestinian conflict took unprecedented shape. The situation in Yemen and the security situation in West Asia is also expected to feature in the talks between the Iranian and the Indian sides.