Indian nurse's case handled by Houthis, her death sentence not ratified by president: Yemeni embassy

The capital punishment handed to Indian nurse Nimisha Priya by a Yemeni court has not been ratified by President Rashad al-Alimi, the West Asian nation's embassy said on Monday. The embassy issued the clarification to a media outlet following its report on the case.

The Yemeni government emphasises that the entire case has been handled by the Houthi militias, and therefore, Rashad Al-Alimi, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Yemen has not ratified this judgment, the mission said.

Priya, hailing from Kollengode in Kerala's Palakkad district, has been found guilty of murdering a Yemeni citizen in July, 2017.


The 37-year-old nurse is presently lodged in a jail in Sana'a, the Yemeni capital city that is under the control of Iran-backed Houthis.

According to reports, Priya was handed capital punishment by a trial court in 2020 while Yemen's Supreme Judicial Council upheld the verdict in November 2023.

Last week, India said it is closely following the developments in the case.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government is extending "all possible" help in the matter.

"We are closely following the developments around the sentencing of Nimisha Priya. The government is extending all possible help in the matter," he said on Friday.