Could her village prayers save nurse Nimisha from gallows in Yemen?

Nimisha Priya was convicted in 2018 of murdering her Yemeni business partner and kept on death row at the central prison in Sana.

New Delhi: The villagers of Nimisha Priya village Poonkayam in Palakkad district haven't yet reconciled to the fact that 37-year-old expat nurse from Kerala will be executed in Yemen on 16 July, reports Dynamite News corrrespondent.

The whole village with folded hands and prayers on lips is looking up to the Heavens in the hope of some miracle that could save Nimisha from the gallows.

Nimisha Priya was convicted in 2018 of murdering her Yemeni business partner and kept on death row at the central prison in Sana.

Petition In Supreme Court

At the same time a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court to postpone the execution.

The petition has sought the intervention of the Indian government in Nimisha's case, so that she can be saved from hanging.

'Save Nimisha Priya Action Council'

This petition was filed by an organization called 'Save Nimisha Priya Action Council'. Senior advocate R Basant, on behalf of the organization, presented the case before the bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi. The lawyer said that according to Yemen's law, the murderer can be forgiven on receiving apology from the deceased's family and due to this, the intervention of the Indian government can find a solution.

Allegations Against Nimisha

Nimisha Priya is accused of murdering Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi. Mahdi was killed in 2017, and in 2020 a Yemeni court sentenced Nimisha to death. The organization filing the petition claims that Nimisha is herself a victim. She had to face constant physical and mental torture by Mahdi, and Mahdi had illegally confiscated her passport.

Backgrounder

Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, convicted of killing Yemeni citizen Talal Mahdi, is currently in jail. She is in the capital Sana'a jail, which is an area controlled by Houthi rebels. The Indian government does not have formal diplomatic relations with the Houthis.

The efforts of the Indian government and her family to save her seem to be failing. Now 37-year-old Nimisha, who went to Yemen for employment from Kerala 14 years ago, has come close to the gallows.

Nimisha Priya came to Yemen capital Sana from Palakkad in Kerala in 2011 to work as a nurse. She went with her family but in the year 2014 her husband and daughter returned to India. The rebel group Houthi captured Sana in the same year. Due to the civil war in Yemen, Nimisha could not return to India and her husband and child could not go to Yemen.