The death sentence imposed on Indian nurse Nimisha Priya by a court in Yemen has been controlled by the Houthi militia and has not been ratified by president Rashad al-Alimi, the country’s embassy said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
Yemen’s embassy on Monday issued a statement clarifying that the case did not have the approval of Rashad al-Alimi, the chairman of the presidential leadership council, and had been entirely handled by the Iran-backed Houthis.
Also Read: India extending ‘all possible help’ to Nimisha Priya on death row in Yemen
Nimisha Priya, 37, is currently in jail in Yemen’s capital city Sana’a, which is under Houthi control. The nurse, who hails from Kollengode in the Palakkad district in Kerala, was found guilty of murdering a Yemeni citizen in July 2017 by a trial court in 2020.
Also Read: Who is Nimisha Priya, Indian nurse on death row in Yemen?
Yemen’s supreme judicial council upheld the court’s decision and sentenced her to death in 2024.
Efforts to rescue Nimisha Priya ongoing
Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday said that the government is extending “all possible” help and is closely following developments in the case.
On Thursday, a senior Iranian official also offered to help in whichever way possible to aid Priya, reported PTI.
Earlier, efforts were made by Priya’s mother Prema Kumari and others to raise funds to pay “blood money” and secure the nurse’s release. Under the blood money system, the victim’s family can forgive the perpetrator for an amount and the decision will override the death sentence given by the court.
However, unable to pay the money required, Priya’s mother in a video message, urged the Indian government to help her daughter.
“This is my final plea. She has only a few days left. Every member of the action council has worked tirelessly to raise funds. I beg the Centre and the council to do everything possible to save her life,” she said.