Nimisha Priya’s execution postponed: A look at Yemen’s execution method

Laid face down, heart marked with a stethoscope—then shot at point-blank range. This is how Yemen carries out executions, often in public.

Transcript

00:00Laid face down, heartmarked with a stethoscope, then shot point blank.

00:04This is how Yemen carries out executions.

00:06The execution of Kerala origin nurse Nimisha Priya, scheduled for July 16 in Yemen, has been postponed.

00:11However, Nimisha stands convicted of killing her business partner and dismembering his body.

00:16In Yemen, the death penalty is often enforced through public executions, with shooting being the most common method.

00:21In an interview with Time, an executioner who claims to have killed over 300 people described the process.

00:26According to the Yemeni executioner, the prisoner is laid face down on a tarpaulin, with their arms stretched beside them.

00:32A doctor with a stethoscope locates the heart on the prisoner's back and marks the exact spot.

00:37Before the execution takes place, the verdict is read out loud.

00:40The family of the victim is allowed to either forgive the prisoner or allow the execution to proceed.

00:44If the family chooses to forgive, the executioner lifts the weapon and fires into the air, signaling mercy.

00:50But if the family remains silent, the execution proceeds.

00:52The executioner aims directly at the red marked spot on the prisoner's back.

00:56Then, a round of bullets is fired.

00:58Despite a blood money offer being made, Nimisha Priya has not yet been pardoned.

01:02The victim's family continue to withhold forgiveness, keeping her fate uncertain.