Kochi: After a week of various reports indicating that Yemen President Rashad Muhammed Al-Alimi approved the death sentence of Keralite nurse Nimisha Priya, who was convicted of murdering a Yemeni citizen, the embassy of the Republic of Yemen in India clarified on Monday that the Yemen President has not ratified the death sentence.
A communique issued by the embassy states that Nimisha Priya is “currently detained in Sana’a, under the authority of the Houthi militia.” It also mentions that “the entire case has been handled by the Houthi Militia and therefore Rashad Al-Alimi, chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Republic of Yemen, has not ratified the judgement.”
Meanwhile, there are unverified media reports that the approval for the death sentence came from Houthi Supreme Political Council leader Mehdi Al-Mashat, who is the rebel president.
Nimisha, who hails from Palakkad district, was convicted of murdering a Yemeni citizen, Talal Abdo Mahdi, in 2018.
Meanwhile, against the backdrop of the Yemen embassy’s clarification, the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council demanded immediate intervention of the ministry of external affairs (MEA) in the matter. “There are many contradictory reports regarding Nimisha’s death sentence. Only MEA can clear confusions and take further steps forward to release her through negotiation talks. The action council is ready to give any amount as blood money. But the govt should take the initiative as the action council has limitations in the interventions in Yemen,” said Nimisha Priya’s lawyer and council member Subhash Chandran.
