New Delhi: There is hope yet for Indian nurse Nimisha Priya who has been sentenced to death in Yemen for murder. The government there has announced that the execution that was to be held on Wednesday, has now been deferred.
According to sources, this development came after intervention of Indian Grand Mufti and Sunni leader Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliar. The Indian religious leader intervened in the case through his friend and renowned Yemeni scholar Sheikh Habib Umar, who is a member of the Yemen Shura Council and follower of the Sufi order.
On Umar’s request, a close relative of the deceased and the Chief Justice of Hudaydah State Court have arrived at Damar, Yemen, to take part in discussions. It is now believed that the family of the victim is ready for talks on ‘blood money’. It had rejected the offer earlier.
“The victim’s family has agreed to reconsider their stance following Umar’s intervention. The discussions are aimed at reaching a final decision on accepting the blood money and finding a reprieve for Nimisha. Meanwhile, Musliar requested the Yemeni government to stay the execution, which it has done,” a source said.
Nimisha, from Kollengode in Kerala’s Palakkad district was found guilty of murdering her Yemeni business partner in 2017. The nurse had claimed that she just administered sedatives to take back her passport and other belongings from the man who was extremely abusive. Unfortunately, there was an overdose and he died. The court refused to accept her side of the story.
While the Government of India approached the Government of Yemen, seeking a pardon for the 38-year-old, Nimisha’s family raised funds to pay ‘blood money’ to the family of the dead man. Such ‘buyouts’ are common in some countries in the Middle East.
The Yemeni government had officially told India that it can do little as Sana, where Nimisha is being held, is under the control of the Houthi rebels. The Indian government also made it clear that it cannot be a part to the payment of ‘blood money’ as Indian law doesn’t permit such an exchange.
