Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi, Dec 31 (IANS): The mother of Nimisha Priya, a Kerala nurse sentenced to death in Yemen for the murder of a Yemeni national, has made an impassioned appeal for assistance to save her daughter’s life.
Nimisha’s mother, Prema Kumari, 57, has been tirelessly campaigning to secure a waiver of the death penalty.
Earlier this year, she traveled to Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, to negotiate the payment of diya (blood money) to the victim's family. Her efforts have been supported by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, a group of NRI social workers based in Yemen.
On Tuesday, Prema Kumari, appearing on Malayalam television from Yemen, tearfully urged for urgent intervention.
“I am deeply grateful to the Indian and Kerala governments, as well as the committee formed to save her, for all the support provided so far. But this is my final plea -- please help us save her life. Time is running out,” she said, folding her hands as tears streamed down her face.
Earlier in the day, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal issued a statement acknowledging the case. “We are aware of the sentencing of Nimisha Priya in Yemen. The family is exploring relevant options, and the government is extending all possible help in the matter,” he said.
The urgency of the situation escalated after Yemen’s President Rashad al-Alimi approved Nimisha Priya’s death sentence earlier this month. Reports suggest the execution could occur within a month, leaving her family and supporters scrambling for a resolution.
Nimisha Priya, originally from Kollengode in Kerala’s Palakkad district, moved to Yemen in 2008 to support her daily wage-earning parents. After working in various hospitals, she opened her own clinic. However, in 2017, a dispute with her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi, reportedly took a tragic turn.
Family accounts claim Nimisha injected Mahdi with sedatives to retrieve her confiscated passport. Unfortunately, an overdose led to his death. Nimisha was arrested while attempting to leave the country and was convicted of murder in 2018.
In 2020, a trial court in Sanaa sentenced her to death. The verdict was upheld by Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023, but it left open the possibility of avoiding execution through the payment of blood money.
The case has drawn widespread attention and raised concerns over the fate of Indian nationals abroad as the family and supporters continue their efforts to save Nimisha Priya from the death penalty.