In a major setback for Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, Yemen President Rashad al-Alimi on Monday approved the death sentence. Nimisha Priya, who was convicted of murder, is likely to be executed in a month's time.
Though Nimisha Priya's family was engaged in negotiations with the victim's family to secure a waiver of the death penalty, the discussions heeded no required results.
The government had said that the payment of 'blood money' was a matter between the two families. Therefore, Nimisha's mother, Prema Kumari has been living in Sana'a for the past five months, engaging in negotiations and coordinating activities of the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council.
In September, the negotiations with the victim's family had hit a wall after the lawyer appointed by the Indian Embassy demanded a pre-negotiation fee of $20,000, reported Onmanorama. Though a cheque of $19,871 was provided through the Ministry of External Affairs, the lawyer insisted on a total payment of $40,000.
Now the only ray of hope for Nimisha is a pardon by the victim's family.
She was convicted for the murder of Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi. The incident occurred in 2017. Nimisha overdosed Mahdi with sedatives in order to obtain her passport from his possession. She was convicted in 2018.
Though an appeal was filed against the conviction, the Appeals Court in Yemen dismissed it in 2020. Even though the family approached the Supreme Court, it was of no use. Nimisha's mother has been engaged in a series of negotiations with the victim's family since she reached Sana'a.
