Nimisha Priya case: Is Kerala nurse's death sentence truly overturned? Conflicting reports emerge
Confusion continues over the sentence of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya in Yemen, with sources in the Ministry of External Affairs terming reports regarding withdrawal of her death sentence "inaccurate".
Countering Indian Grand Mufti, Kanthapuram A.P. Abubakker Muslaiyar’s claims that the death sentence has been overturned, sources in the external affairs ministry said the information shared by "certain individuals on Nimisha Priya case is inaccurate".
Subash Chandran, Supreme Court lawyer and legal adviser of 'Save Nimisha Priya Action Council' told Malayala Manorama that Talal Abdo Mahdi's family have in principle agreed to suspend her death sentence. The lawyer said Mahdi's parents and children have agreed to withdraw from the demand for death sentence.
On Monday evening, Kanthapuram A.P. Abubakker Muslaiyar’s office said the Kerala nurse's death sentence has been overturned. "The death sentence of Nimisha Priya, which was previously suspended, has been overturned. A high-level meeting held in Sanaa decided to completely cancel the death sentence that was temporarily suspended earlier," it said.
Meanwhile, Abdul Fatah Mahdi, brother of slain Yemeni businessman Talal Abdo Mahdi, also denied reports regarding the commutation of Priya's death sentence. Fatah Mahdi said his family has not reached any agreement regarding pardoning Priya. Mahdi also shared a letter written by the Yemeni authorities on his Facebook wall, urging them to implement the punishment at the earliest.
Nimisha had been working in Yemen since 2011. She had established a clinic in Sana'a in 2015 under Yemeni citizen Talal Abdo Mahdi's sponsorship. However, Talal allegedly forged marriage documents to establish that they are husband and wife, took her passport and abused her physically and mentally.
In an attempt to escape, Nimisha drugged Talal to take her passport from him. However, the man died of overdose. Priya was detained by Yemeni authorities near the Saudi Arabia border while she was trying to escape.
In 2020, Yemen sentenced the Kerala nurse to death, and her appeals were rejected by higher courts. The Yemeni president approved the verdict last year, and she was scheduled to be executed on July 16. However, the execution was suspended on July 15, reportedly following talks initiated by Kanthapuram through clerics there with Mahdi's family. The MEA has not yet acknowledged Kanthapuram's role in the rescue efforts and said talks are underway.
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