MEA Steps In As Yemen Sentences Kerala Nurse To Death: ‘Extending All Possible Help’

In response to the case of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, the Indian government has reaffirmed commitment to providing all kinds of assistance possible after she was sentenced by the Yemen court. India’s official spokesperson, Shri Randhir Jaiswal, confirmed the government’s awareness of the death sentence imposed on Nimisha Priya, who was convicted of murder in Yemen.

Jaiswal said, “We are aware of the sentencing of Ms. Nimisha Priya in Yemen. We understand that her family is exploring all relevant options, and the government is extending all possible help in this matter.”

Nimisha Priya, a Kerala native, was convicted of the murder of a Yemeni national, Talal Abdo Mahdi, in 2017. The Yemeni president, Rashad al-Alimi, ratified the death sentence last week and Nimisha Priya can be expected to be executed in a month unless intervened.

Steps To Save Clemency For Nimisha Priya

Despite the dire outlook, Priya’s family has been actively exploring all possible ways to secure a pardon. Prema has been here in Sana’a for the past five months working hard to engage with the victim’s family and work out a waiver of the death sentence. It involves leading the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council and seeking forgiveness from the family through negotiations.

The administration has been conciliatory and said that the question of ‘blood money’ or compensation is a private issue between the two families. It has, however, exposed huge hurdles in negotiations. An earlier effort to engage a lawyer for negotiations broke asunder when a lawyer hired by the Indian Embassy demanded a pre-negotiation fee of $20,000.

Although the Ministry of External Affairs issued a cheque for almost $20,000, the lawyer insisted on the total fee of $40,000, and discussions came to a halt.

Nimisha Priya’s conviction stems from an incident in 2017 when she allegedly sedated Mahdi to steal his passport. She was sentenced to death in 2018, and her subsequent appeal was dismissed by Yemen’s Appeals Court in 2020. Although her family attempted to take the case to the Supreme Court, no relief has been granted.

The last hope of saving the life of Nimisha seems to be through the probable pardon by the victim’s family. Her mother was continuing her efforts for forgiveness by the family that may help save her daughter from death.

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