Indian Nurse Nimisha Priya Faces Execution in Yemen on July 16: A Look at Yemen’s De@th Penalty Process

Indian nurse Nimisha Priya is scheduled to be executed in Yemen on July 16. She was sentenced to death for the murder of her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdul Mehdi, in 2017. According to reports, Nimisha killed Mehdi, dismembered his body, and hid the remains in a water tank. Her family tried to prevent the execution by offering “blood money” (compensation) to the victim’s family, but the attempt was unsuccessful.

Yemen’s method of execution has long been criticized internationally for its brutality. Unlike India, where hanging is the standard method, Yemen follows Islamic Sharia law, and executions are often carried out by firing squad—a process considered among the most severe and inhumane in the world.

Before execution in Yemen, prisoners are not given any special meal or allowed to fulfill any last wishes, unlike in some other countries such as the United States. The process is highly formal and strict, with both religious and legal rituals observed. The condemned is usually informed about their execution date in advance. In their final moments, they are given a chance to pray or listen to Quranic verses for repentance and to seek forgiveness from Allah.

On the day of execution, the prisoner is blindfolded and taken outdoors to the execution site. This practice is intended to shield the prisoner from the psychological trauma of seeing the firing squad. The person is then wrapped in a blanket or cloth and laid face down on a mat. A doctor marks the spot on the back where the heart is located, and the executioner fires several rounds directly at the heart, usually with an automatic rifle such as an AK-47, which is widely available in Yemen. The aim is to ensure immediate death.

Yemen’s penal code allows for various methods of execution, including shooting, stoning, and beheading, but shooting is the most common today. Approval from the president is required before carrying out the death sentence. The Houthi administration, which controls northern Yemen including the capital Sanaa, has already approved Nimisha’s execution. The president also has the authority to commute, postpone, or pardon the sentence, or convert it to life imprisonment. If the condemned woman is pregnant, execution is delayed until after the birth and until someone is available to care for the child, which can extend the delay by up to one and a half years.

Yemen’s laws allow the death penalty for various crimes, including murder, rape, terrorism, homosexuality, apostasy, drug trafficking, treason, espionage, and military offenses. Since the Houthis took control of northern Yemen in 2014, executions—especially for moral crimes and political opposition—have reportedly increased. There have been cases of mass executions without fair trials, and the judicial process in Yemen is often criticized for its lack of transparency and fairness. Sometimes, even minors have been sentenced to death, which violates international law.

International human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned the use of the death penalty by the Houthis, but this has had little effect on Yemen’s practices. The Houthi-controlled areas include the capital Sanaa and key ports, while the internationally recognized Yemeni government controls the southern and eastern regions, including the port city of Aden.

The firing squad method—where the condemned is blindfolded and shot by multiple gunmen aiming at the heart—is still practiced in a few countries, including Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, China, and, rarely, the United States. In the US, it is now only used as an alternative if lethal injection fails.