Negotiations for releasing Nimisha Priya halted as lawyer demands Rs 16.6 lakh

Kochi: The efforts to secure the release of Keralite Nimisha Priya from Yemen jail have come to an unexpected standstill. Nimisha, a nurse by profession is facing murder charges in Yemen.

The negotiations with the family of Talal Abdo Mehdi, the victim, and their tribal leaders were abruptly halted after Abdullah Ameer, the lawyer engaged by the Indian Embassy, demanded a payment of 20,000 US dollars (approximately Rs. 16.6 lakh) as part of his pre-negotiation fee. He has made it clear that discussions will resume only once this payment is made.

On July 4, a cheque worth 19,871 US dollars was already provided to the lawyer through India’s Ministry of External Affairs. However, it is now understood that the lawyer had originally demanded a total of 40,000 US dollars, payable in two instalments before the discussions could proceed.

The Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council raised the initial instalment through crowdfunding. However, they are now struggling to explain to donors how the funds collected so far were spent. Without providing transparency on this, they are uncertain how they can continue fundraising efforts to meet the second payment. 

The release of Nimisha Priya hinges on the willingness of Talal's family and tribal leaders to forgive the crime, which would involve negotiating blood money.

Nimisha Priya’s mother, Prema Kumari, has been living in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, for the past five months, striving to initiate discussions for a waiver of the death penalty and to negotiate the blood money with the victim’s family. She currently resides at the home of Samuel Jerome, an NRI social worker who is coordinating the activities of the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council.

Nimisha Priya, a native of Palakkad, was sentenced to death in 2017 for the murder of Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mehdi. She was apprehended while attempting to flee Yemen and convicted in 2018.