“One death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.” This is a statement attributed to Joseph Stalin, the Soviet leader who ruled by brutal oppression. We, as humans, feel empathy for the pain and suffering of an individual. In the era of 24-hour television and social media, human interest stories capture the imagination of millions of people and generate widespread discussion and debate. Such moments also afford us an opportunity to think carefully and learn lessons for the future and to improve our collective social life.

The Nimisha Priya trial and conviction in strife-torn Yemen is one such case that is agitating the minds of many Indians. Nimisha Priya is one of the millions of hard-working Indians who sought an opportunity for a better life in the oil-rich Arab world. Her business partner, according to Nimisha, stole money from her, threatened her physically, and even confiscated her passport and documents to control her. Her police complaint did not yield any result. Nimisha claims that in July 2017 she sedated her business partner with ketamine in order to retrieve her passport and other documents, but because of an accidental overdose, he died. Nimisha was arrested as she was fleeing the country. She was tried and convicted for murder and sentenced to death in 2018. The trial was entirely in Arabic, and the accused had no legal representation or interpreter to defend herself. Nimisha and her supporters........

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