NEW DELHI: There appears to be a ray of hope for Nimisha Priya, the Indian nurse on death row in strife-torn Yemen. It is reliably learnt that Iranian officials could contact the family of Talal Abdo Mahdi, her former business partner, for whose murder she has been sentenced to death, to seek pardon by offering blood money.
The 37-year-old nurse is currently imprisoned in Sana’a, the Yemeni capital, which is under the control of Iran-backed Houthis.
“It’s a relief of sorts. Iran officials could use their good offices with Houthis for the reach-out with family of the victim. Some cash has been arranged for blood money and talks are on to get the family on board to seek pardon, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed,” a source said. It is learnt that using an appropriate intermediary equivalent of Rs 30 lakh has been kept ready. “But the process can be anything between long-drawn and easy,” said the source.
A senior Iran official last week had expressed willingness for working on the release of the nurse.
Hailing from Kollengode in Kerala’s Palakkad district, the nurse was found guilty of murdering a Yemeni citizen in July 2017. She was handed capital punishment by a trial court in 2020 while Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council upheld the verdict in November 2023. Last week, India said it is closely following the case.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government is extending all possible help in the matter. “We are closely following the developments around the sentencing of Nimisha Priya. The government is extending all possible help in the matter,” he said on Friday.
Meanwhile, the embassy of the conflict-ridden West Asian country in New Delhi said that the capital punishment handed to Nimisha Priya by a Yemeni court has not been ratified by President Rashad al-Alimi.
Family, supporters cautiously optimistic
Nimisha’s family and supporters remain cautiously optimistic. Her lawyer, Subhash Chandran, expressed hope that the Indian government would extend support to secure her. “We know it’s a difficult case, only with government help can we hope for a positive outcome,” he said
