Kerala Nurse On Death Row In Yemen. Her Last Hope: Mother Negotiating Release

Nimisha Priya was found guilty of killing a Yemeni national and has been in prison since 2018.

New Delhi:

A Kerala nurse on death row in Yemen for murder will now be represented by her mother, who was granted permission by the Delhi High Court to travel to the West Asian country and negotiate her daughter’s release. The court, in a ruling on Tuesday, permitted the mother to go to Yemen and try and negotiate a “blood money” deal to save her daughter Nimisha Priya.

“Blood money” is the compensation decided by the victim’s family to secure her release, a direct negotiation in accordance with the Shariah law prevalent in Yemen. But for this negotiation, it is important for her mother to travel to Yemen.

But Centre imposed a travel ban in 2017 due to which Indian citizens cannot visit Yemen without the permission of the government. Delhi High Court directed the Centre to relax its notification, and allow Prema Kumari, Nimisha’s mother, to travel to Yemen.

The high court took note of the Centre’s submission that India does not have diplomatic ties with Yemen and it has closed down its embassy there, and that no international treaty is applicable in that country in the present scenario.

The court has asked the mother to submit an affidavit stating that she will travel at her own risk and responsibility without any liability to the Indian government.

Nimisha Priya was found guilty of killing a Yemeni national and has been in prison since 2018. She injected Talal Abdo Mahdi with sedatives in an attempt to retrieve her passport from his possession.

She was sentenced to death by a trial court in Yemen in 2018 and her family has been fighting for her release since then. With Yemini Supreme Court rejecting her appeal, the only hope for her is a “blood money” deal between the families.