Nimisha Priya, a 38-year-old nurse from Kollengode in Kerala’s Palakkad district, was found guilty of murdering a Yemeni citizen in July 2017. In 2020, a Yemeni court sentenced her to death
Nimisha Priya is currently in prison in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen. File Pic
The execution of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, on death row in Yemen, has been postponed by Yemeni authorities, government sources said on Tuesday following which her family has expressed relief, reported the PTI.
Priya's execution was scheduled for Wednesday.
Her husband, Tomy Thomas, said the news brought hope.
“The execution has been postponed. That is good news. We are happy and relieved. I am sure efforts will continue to stop her execution and bring her home safely,” he told PTI.
He also thanked the Indian government, social groups, and others who supported her case.
Thomas mentioned that their daughter, who is in Class XIII, has been kept away from the details of the situation to protect her from distress, according to the PTI.
Nimisha Priya, a 38-year-old nurse from Kollengode in Kerala’s Palakkad district, was found guilty of murdering a Yemeni citizen in July 2017.
In 2020, a Yemeni court sentenced her to death, and her final appeal was rejected by the country’s Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023, as per the PTI.
She is currently in prison in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, which is under the control of Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Priya, hailing from Kollengode in Kerala's Palakkad district, has been allegedly found guilty of murdering a Yemeni citizen in July 2017.
It has been learnt that the local authorities in Yemen have postponed the execution scheduled for July 16, the sources said.
The government of India has made concerted efforts in recent days to seek more time for Priya's family to reach a "mutually agreeable" solution with the other party, they said, the news agency reported on Tuesday.
She is presently lodged in a jail in Sana'a, the Yemeni capital city that is under the control of Iran-backed Houthis.
The sources said the government of India has been rendering all possible assistance in the case since beginning.
Despite the sensitivities involved, Indian officials have been in regular touch with the local jail authorities and the prosecutor's office, leading to securing the postponement, the sources said.
Meanwhile, Priya's mother Premakumari travelled to Yemen last year as part of efforts to secure her release.
The Indian side had even explored the option of securing Priya's release through "diyat" or paying "blood money". But that also ran into some problems, it is learnt, reported the PTI.
The government had on Monday informed the Supreme Court that it was doing whatever was "utmost possible" to save the Indian nurse from execution.
It also informed the top court that "nothing much" could be done keeping in view the status of Yemen.
(with PTI inputs)
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