India roped in influential Sheikh to negotiate mercy for Nimisha Priya but Yemen maintains 'honour’ is non-negotiable

Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kerala, sits thousands of miles away in a Yemeni prison, waiting for the final word on whether she will walk free or face the noose. On Monday, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that it could do little more in the case, having already exhausted all its powers and gone beyond them.

 

The story of Nimisha, who went to Yemen with dreams of providing for her family, has become an agonising saga for her loved ones. Convicted of murdering her Yemeni employer, a crime she claims happened in desperate self-defence, Nimisha has been sentenced to death in a foreign land where legal norms and diplomatic levers are often unpredictable.

 

Appearing for the Centre, Attorney General R Venkataramani apprised the grim reality before the bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said, “Negotiating link has also been done. There is a point till which the Government of India can go. We have reached it.”

 

Venkataramani revealed how the government, avoiding public noise to prevent diplomatic backlash, even roped in an influential Sheikh to negotiate mercy for Nimisha. They pleaded with Yemen’s public prosecutor to suspend her execution, but every effort has hit a wall. “Nothing matters to the Yemen government. We got an informal communication that the execution would be put in abeyance but we don’t know if it will work out,” the AG told the bench.

 

When Justice Mehta pointed out that Nimisha’s family and well-wishers have managed to raise blood money - the compensation under Sharia law that can commute a death sentence, the AG said Yemen’s authorities still refuse to budge, citing 'honour’ as non-negotiable. “We don’t know if it changes with more money. But as of now, it’s at a standstill,” he said adding that Joint Secretary Gulf Affairs who was present in court himself about the efforts undertaken.

 

AG highlighted the sensitivity of India's diplomatic ties with Yemen, saying it's not like any other country in the world with which India can negotiate. However, he added that utmost possible efforts are underway.

 

However, the lawyer who has filed the plea in the court and appearing for an organisation called Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council urged the government to push the limits. “Good Samaritans are ready to help but Yemen is Yemen. We are even willing to pay a higher blood money,” the counsel said.

 

The Supreme Court, aware of its jurisdictional limits but unwilling to shut its doors, posted the matter for Friday – July 18 and asked Centre to apprise it about the status of the case.

 

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has also written a letter yesterday to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene with the Yemeni authorities and save Nimisha Priya from execution. The CM's letter stated that the Kerala nurse's case is one deserving sympathy.

India