As time runs out for Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who has been sentenced to death in Yemen for killing a national, reports cite that the delay in arranging funds for mediation efforts with Yemen's tribal leaders derailed her chances. This comes as Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi approved the death sentence for Nimisha Priya, who will likely be executed in a month.
Samuel Jerome, the Indian national who is leading the mediation efforts for Nimisha Priya's release in Yemen, told Manorama Online that there were little efforts to source the second instalment of money for the mediation talks with tribal leaders. "The talks got stalled after we failed to provide the second instalment for talks. Had the talks progressed, Nimisha Priya would have been released by now," Jerome added. In the first round of talks, the action committee formed under the leadership of Jerome managed to meet the victim Talal Abdo Mahdi's family.
The action committee had demanded $40,000 to initiate talks with Mahdi's family. The first instalment of $19,871 was provided through the Ministry of External Affairs. The bid to collect money for the second instalment hit the wall after many raised queries seeking the details for which the money was spent.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the latest development has come to their attention. Official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: "We are aware of the sentencing of Ms. Nimisha Priya in Yemen. We understand that the family of Ms. Priya is exploring relevant options. The government is extending all possible help in the matter."
The incident leading to the murder of Mahdi happened in 2017. Nimisha Priya, a nurse in Kerala migrated to Yemen with her husband. While her husband returned home after the birth of their child, Nimisha stayed back in Yemen to start a clinic in Sanaa under the sponsorship of Mahdi. However, Nimisha's lawyers claim Mahdi began physically abusing her, even taking away her passport.
Nimisha overdosed Mahdi with sedatives in order to obtain her passport from his possession. However, Mahdi died. Though she tried to escape, Nimisha was apprehended by Yemeni authorities from Yemen-Saudi border.
