New Delhi: Days after the Supreme Court of Yemen rejected Indian nurse Nimisha Priya’s appeal against the death sentence handed out to her in the murder case of Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi, the Delhi High Court Thursday asked the Indian government to consider Priya’s mother, Premakumari’s, request for permission to travel to Yemen to negotiate a payment of monetary compensation to save her daughter.
Priya, originally from Kerala, had been reportedly found guilty of murdering Mahdi, and “dismembering and disposing” of the body. The nurse was first awarded a death sentence in 2020. In March 2022, her appeal against the sentence was rejected by an appellate court in Yemen, and earlier this week the same has been rejected by the county’s Supreme Court.
Her only remaining hope to avoid the death penalty now lies in a decision in her favour by the president of Yemen, the Union government informed the Delhi High Court Thursday.
According to media reports, Priya’s mother Premakumari has moved the Delhi High Court for permission to travel to Yemen to negotiate with the family of Mahdi and offer blood money to ensure Priya’s safe return to India. Blood money is monetary compensation offered to the family of a murdered person.
Since 2016, Indians have been banned from traveling to Yemen due to the prevailing adverse political and security situation in the country. However, on 16 November, the Indian government informed the Delhi High Court that the ban could be relaxed for specific and essential travel.
The high court Thursday ordered that the union government to consider the mother’s plea as an official representation, to be decided by the union government within a week.
While Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson for the ministry of external affairs (MEA) confirmed that the government was “extending consular assistance” to Premakumari, but added that since “it’s a legal issue there, as well as, I think, its gone in the, as you said, Delhi High Court, I would not like to comment on those steps, but certainly we are in touch. We are extending whatever consular assistance we can, but do understand that this is a legal process in their country too, and we will see in whatever way we can continue with this process”.
Also read: Yemen’s ragtag rebels became a threat to world economy, showed military power has its limits
Who’s Nimisha Priya and what is the case against her?
A native of Kerala’s Palakkad district, Priya, and her husband Tomy Thomas, had migrated to Yemen for work. However, in 2014, Thomas returned to India with their daughter, while Priya continued working in Yemen.
In 2015, Priya reportedly started her own clinic in Yemen. Since the local law reportedly required any foreigner who wished to start a business in Yemen to have a local partner, Priya had first approached Mahdi — whom she and her husband had met before — but later went on to form a partnership with her then-boss, Abdul Lateef.
In a media interview in 2020, Thomas claimed Mahdi added his name as a shareholder in the clinic and also drew up fake marriage documents claiming Priya to be his wife. Because of the prevalent tensions in Yemen and the travel ban on Indians, Priya’s husband and daughter reportedly remained in Kerala.
Priya on her part has alleged that Mahdi would torture her and even took possession of her passport, preventing her return to India. She has also alleged that she received no legal aid when the courts were considering her sentence.
On the fateful day of his death, the nurse claimed she attempted to sedate Mahdi to retrieve her passport, but he collapsed and died, reportedly owing to a drug overdose. Priya has claimed the death to be unintentional.
According to media reports, following Mahdi’s death, Priya sought help from Hanan (identified by a single name only), her friend and fellow nurse. Hanan, a co-accused, reportedly cut up the body and disposed of it in a water tank.
While both were initially imprisoned for life, Priya was later sentenced to death.
The way forward for Priya
With the rejection of Priya’s appeal by the Supreme Court of Yemen, only the president of Yemen can pardon the nurse of the death sentence.
The other option is a negotiation with Mahdi’s family and the offer of blood money. According to media reports, Mahdi’s family had asked for 50 million Yemeni Rials in 2022 as compensation.
While Priya’s family reportedly offered to pay the money, Mahdi’s family instead became keen on a death sentence for the nurse.
According to media reports published in November 2022, M.A Yusuff Ali, chairman of the Lulu Group, a conglomerate with worldwide business interests, agreed to help Priya pay the blood money on humanitarian grounds. But the possibility of negotiations now rests with the Government of India’s decision to allow Premakumari’s travel to Yemen.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
Also read: Who are Houthis? Yemen group that’s declared war on Israel & how it plays into Iran-Saudi proxy war