Prema Kumari, mother of Nimisha Priya, along with Samuel Jerome Bhaskaran (left) and Indian mission staff at Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. File photo
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The Government of India is extending all help to Malayali nurse Nimisha Priya, who is on death row at the Central prison in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, the Ministry for External Affairs said on Tuesday (December 31, 2024).
Also read:On a journey fraught with danger to save her daughter on death row
“We are aware of the sentencing of Ms. Nimisha Priya in Yemen. We understand that the family of Ms. Priya is exploring relevant options. The government is extending all possible help in the matter”, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
A native of Palakkad, Nimisha was imprisoned for the alleged murder of Talal Abdo Mehdi, a Yemeni national in July 2017. She was sentenced to death by a trial court in Sanaa in 2020 and the Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council had dismissed her appeal in November 2023 while keeping the option of paying blood money open.
Nimisha had left for Yemen in 2008 to help her parents, who were daily-wage labourers. She worked in a few hospitals in Yemen before deciding to start her own clinic in 2015. The family said that differences cropped up with Mahdi, her local partner, after she questioned him about the alleged embezzlement of funds. She allegedly injected him with sedatives in an attempt to reclaim her passport that he had confiscated and an overdose resulted in his death.
Family still hopeful of release
The family members and well-wishers of Nimisha Priya remain hopeful of her release despite reports that Rashad al-Alimi, President of Yemen, has given the nod for her execution.
Samuel Jerome Bhaskaran, a member of the ‘Save Nimisha Priya International Council’ who has been working in Yemen for over 24 years and co-ordinating the efforts to release her, told The Hindu from Yemen on Monday that the death penalty can be waived, if the victim’s family agreed to pardon her in exchange for blood money.
“The negotiations came to a halt following the release in the delay of the second instalment of the fee asked by the lawyer engaged on behalf of Ms. Nimisha Priya to carry out the talks with the family members and tribal leaders,” he said.
According to the council, the lawyer had demanded a total of about 40,000 dollars as pre-negotiation fee. About 20,000 dollars were transferred to him through the Indian Embassy in Yemen in July 2024. However, he had made it clear that the negotiations could continue only after receiving the remaining amount.
Subhash Chandran K. R., member of the council and Supreme Court lawyer who had represented 57-year-old Prema Kumari, mother of Nimisha Priya in the Delhi High Court, said that the release of the second instalment was put on hold as the council had asked the lawyer to update on the progress of the negotiations and the details about how the initial funding was utilised.
Ms. Kumari had met her daughter at the prison in Sanaa on April 24, 2024 after a long journey from Kochi. She was accompained by Mr. Samuel Jerome Bhaskaran. She continues to remain in Yemen. She was able to travel to Yemen after the Delhi High Court on a plea filed by her and the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council asked the Centre to relax its 2017 notification, which barred Indian passport holders from travelling to Yemen.
(with inputs from Kochi bureau)
Published – December 31, 2024 09:48 am IST
