Relatives and activists still hopeful of getting pardon

Family members and human rights activists in Kerala are clinging to hope for a last-minute pardon for Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse whose death sentence was confirmed by Yemeni President Rashad al-Alimi for the alleged murder of a Yemeni national.

- Press Trust of India

KOCHI:

She has been imprisoned in a Yemeni jail since 2017 for the crime.

"If the family of the victim, Talal Abdo Mahdi, agrees to accept blood money and pardon Nimisha Priya, her life can be saved. We remain hopeful, but urgent support from the Union government is crucial. We are prepared to pay the required amount," Babu John, a member of the "Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council", told PTI.

Despite the lack of bilateral ties between India and civil war-torn Yemen, our diplomatic efforts could still bring about a positive outcome, an optimistic Babu John added.

Nimisha Priya, hailing from Kollengode in Kerala's Palakkad district, has been reportedly handed capital punishment for allegedly murdering a Yemeni citizen.

Reports said Priya was handed capital punishment by a trial court in 2020 and Yemen's Supreme Judicial Council upheld the verdict in November 2023. Yemen's President Rashad al-Alimi has reportedly approved Priya's death sentence.