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From Nimisha Priya to others: Country-wise count of Indians on death row
24htopnews | July 18, 2025 3:42 PM CST

Nimisha Priya is an Indian nurse sentenced to death in Yemen for the murder of a Yemeni national.

There are a total of 49 Indians on death row in eight countries.

Country-wise count of Indians on death row

The highest number of Indians on death row are in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). There are 25 Indians who have been sentenced to death in the UAE.

Saudi Arabia has the second highest number of Indians on death row. The country has awarded death sentences to 11 Indians.

Following is the list of country-wise count of Indians on death row.

  • UAE: 25
  • Saudi Arabia: 11
  • Malaysia: 6
  • Kuwait: 3
  • Indonesia: 1
  • Qatar: 1
  • USA: 1
  • Yemen: 1

Indian nurse Nimisha Priya case

Meanwhile, in a significant development in the Nimisha Priya case, the scheduled execution of the Indian nurse has been temporarily halted.

Nimisha Priya was to be executed on Wednesday, but following a lengthy period of multi-pronged negotiations, her execution has been kept in abeyance.

Analysts believe that it is the family of the deceased that can pardon Priya. However, with a difference of opinion surfacing in the family, the religious people involved in the negotiations, besides officials, are trying their best to resolve the issue.

It has been learnt that the next part of the negotiation will center around the ‘blood money’ that will be given. For the unversed, ‘blood money’ is monetary compensation to the family of the person killed in exchange for forgiveness. It is an accepted practice under Sharia law.

Background of case

Indian nurse Nimisha Priya is currently lodged in a jail in Yemen, facing the death penalty for the alleged murder of her former business partner, Talal Abdo Mehdi, in 2017.

She moved to Yemen in 2008 to support her family and initially worked as a nurse before opening her clinic.

In 2017, following a dispute with Mehdi – her business partner – she allegedly administered sedatives to him in a bid to retrieve her confiscated passport. However, the sedatives proved fatal.

Priya was arrested while attempting to flee the country and was convicted of murder in 2018.

A death sentence was handed down in 2020 and upheld by Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023.

However, the court allowed the possibility of clemency through a ‘blood money’ arrangement.

With inputs from IANS


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