Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 27 Fresh momentum has gathered in the efforts to secure the release of Nimisha Priya, the Kerala nurse facing the death penalty in Yemen.
According to MLA Chandy Oommen, discussions are actively progressing in the Gulf, particularly in the UAE and Qatar, through expatriate businessmen with links in Yemen.
“There is reason to hope for positive news in the coming days,” said Oommen while clarifying that there has been no attempt to sideline the ongoing mediation efforts led by the Kanthapuram group.
Oommen is the son of the late two-time former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who, till his death in 2023, was actively involved in this case.
Oommen has thrice called upon Kerala Governor Rajendra V. Arlekar to take up the case with the Centre.
Priya, a native of Palakkad, was convicted in 2020 for the 2017 murder of her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mahdi.
Reports suggest that she acted under duress after suffering months of physical and psychological abuse by him, culminating in the administration of a lethal drug overdose.
The case drew widespread attention after Yemeni authorities scheduled her execution for July 16 this year.
However, sustained interventions, including those led by Kerala’s Muslim scholar and Grand Mufti of India, Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, succeeded in securing a last-minute stay.
Mufti’s network, particularly his engagement with prominent Yemeni cleric Shaikh Habeeb Ummer, has been credited with paving the way for dialogue.
Jawad Mustafawy, a close aide of the Mufti who studied Islamic philosophy in Yemen, emphasised that the sole focus of their mission is her release.
Diplomatic and humanitarian efforts are now converging on persuading the victim’s family, the ultimate decision-makers under Yemen’s legal framework.
Reports indicated that a Yemeni delegation, including women, had approached the bereaved family to explore possibilities of reconciliation and compensation.
With the Gulf discussions gaining traction alongside religious and humanitarian interventions, hopes remain alive that Nimisha may not only be spared from the death row, but perhaps a return to Kerala might also happen.
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