Release of Nimisha Priya: Court proceedings underway; settlement amount yet to be paid

In a voice message, Malayali nurse Nimisha Priya, on death row for the murder of a Yemeni citizen, said the court proceedings and settlement efforts are underway.

Nimisha has also thanked the Central and State Governments, the Action Council, and all those who are trying to raise the money required to settle the case.

Nimisha is currently in prison in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen. According to that country's law, the sentence will be reduced if the victim's family forgives the accused.

The Yemeni prison authorities had earlier informed Nimisha's family that the murdered Talal's family was ready to negotiate for a payment of 50 million Yemeni rials (approximately Rs 1.5 crore) as compensation. However, the steps to free Nimisha by paying damages are yet to be completed.

The head of Yemen's criminal prosecution had given orders to speed up the process. The prosecution's intervention comes at the bidding of the victim's family.

Palakkad native Nimisha Priya was a nurse in Yemen when she was convicted in 2020 for the murder of Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi. Mahdi died in July 2017 allegedly of overdose after she injected him with sedatives to get her passport back from him.

According to Nimisha, Mahdi had also forged documents to show that she was married to him. She also said that Mahdi abused and tortured her.