Jeddah: Efforts to secure the release of Nimisha Priya, the Malayali nurse who was sentenced to death for the murder of a Yemeni national, are gaining momentum. The Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council has already raised $40,000 (around Rs 33.40 lakh) to begin negotiations with the family of the victim and their tribal leaders. Out of this, $20,000 was transferred through the Ministry of External Affairs to the Indian Embassy in Sanaa.

Nimish Priya's mother Prema Kumari is currently in Yemen. She had travelled to Yemen on April 24 to initiate the process of securing a waiver of the death penalty and to negotiate the blood money amount with the victim's family.

Nimisha Priya, a Palakkad native was sentenced to death for the murder of Yemeni national Tala Abdo Mahdi in 2017. She was apprehended while attempting to flee the country and was sentenced to death in 2018. The execution order for her death sentence is currently with the President of Yemen. Once signed, the order will be sent to the Chief Prosecutor's office, after which there will be no further delays in carrying out the sentence.