Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, who has been convicted of the murder of Yemeni citizen Talal Abdo Mehdi, is set to be executed on July 16.
Samuel Jerome Baskaran, a social worker who is currently involved in negotiations with government officials in Yemen and Talal’s family, confirmed the development. “The public prosecutor had issued the letter of prosecution to the jail authorities. The execution is scheduled for July 16. Options are still open. The Government of India can intervene in the matter to save her life,” he said.
Regarding a pardon from the family of Talal, Samuel said: “We had made an offer to the family during the last meeting. So far, they have not responded. I am leaving for Yemen today to resume the negotiations.”
According to government sources, “Ms. Nimisha Priya was convicted for the crime of murder in Yemen in June 2018 and the local court handed out death sentence to her. We have been closely following the matter since then. We have been in regular touch with local authorities and her family members and rendered all possible assistance. We continue to closely follow the matter.”
Nimisha’s mother, Prema Kumari, a domestic worker in Kochi, has been camping in Yemen for the past year. Nimisha, a native of Kerala, had worked as a nurse in Yemen for several years until she was accused of murder in 2017.
With Talal’s support, Nimisha ran a clinic in Yemen, but she allegedly faced mental, physical and financial abuse, which culminated in the murder.
The death sentence was awarded to her by a trial court in Yemen and upheld by the Supreme Court. Last year, Yemen’s President Rashad al-Alimi approved the death sentence for the 38-year-old woman. The order has been with the prosecutor since January this year.
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Since then, her fate has been hanging by a thread, depending on a pardon from Talal’s family.
Last year, when Yemen’s president approved the death sentence, the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi said it would extend all possible help to her and her family. In December last year, her mother had approached the Delhi High Court to secure an exemption from the travel ban to conflict-ridden Yemen. Since her arrival in Sanaa, Kumari has had a few meetings with Nimisha in prison.
