Nimisha Priya 'optimistic' after Embassy officials discuss mercy petition with her

Sana’a: Officials from the Indian Embassy met Nimisha Priya, a native of Kollengode in Palakkad, who has been sentenced to death in Yemen for killing a native man, to discuss her mercy petition.

During the meeting, Nimisha said she is optimistic about a positive outcome.

The footage of the meeting was released by Manorama News. Samuel, a social worker, also attended the meeting along with embassy officials.

Discussions with the family of the slain Yemeni national also began on granting mercy to Nimisha. Efforts are now on to pay the blood money demanded by the family to get Nimisha released.

Nimisha was sentenced to death for killing a Yemeni man on July 25, 2017, and hiding his body in a water tank above his house.

While working as a nurse, she had sought the help of the Yemeni citizen, Talal Abdu Mahdi, to start her own clinic. Talal allegedly embezzled money belonging to the clinic. When she questioned him about it, he became hostile. He later threatened her, forged documents, married her as per his religion and brutally tortured her.

Nimisha was subjected to severe torture. Her passport was confiscated, she was harassed without being allowed to visit her native, and she also face sexual assault threat.

Hanan, another nurse who helped Nimisha with the murder, is serving a life sentence. On August 26, the court accepted an appeal filed by Nimisha to revoke the death penalty. It has also stayed the execution of the sentence till further orders.

The lawyers for Nimisha must now argue before the Supreme Judicial Council, chaired by the Yemeni president, against the death penalty, which should have been carried out within 90 days.