'All options exhausted': Centre on Nimisha Priya's execution in Yemen
What's the story
The Indian government has told the Supreme Court that it has exhausted all diplomatic efforts to save Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya from her scheduled execution in Yemen on July 16. Attorney General R Venkataramani, representing the Centre, said, "There's nothing much the government can do. Looking at the sensitivity of Yemen, it's not diplomatically recognized. Blood money is a private negotiation." Priya was convicted of murdering her Yemeni business partner, Talal Abdo Mehdi, and sentenced to death in 2020.
Legal proceedings
Priya's conviction and government's efforts
Priya was accused of allegedly drugging and murdering Mehdi with another nurse, dismembering his body, and hiding it in an underground tank. Her conviction was upheld by Yemen's Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023. In the SC, the Indian government said it has been unable to make any diplomatic headway in Priya's case because it falls under a Houthi-controlled area. This has made it difficult for government agencies and organizations working for her release to negotiate.
Negotiation efforts
Why negotiations are difficult
Attorney General Venkataramani said, "There's a point till which the government of India can go. We have reached that." "We also told the public prosecutor if the execution can be suspended. But it has not worked out. Nothing matters to Yemen government. We also got involved with a sheikh influential there. It did not work out." "We got an informal communication that execution would be put in abeyance but we don't know if it will work out," Venkataramani said.
Blood money
Blood money not accepted
During the hearing, the court also observed that the petitioner had successfully arranged blood money, which is the payment of compensation to the deceased person's relatives/family in exchange for the accused person's release. The family of the Yemeni national, however, has not accepted it. "They say it is question of honor and 'we don't accept'. We don't know if it changes with more money. But as of now standstill," the AG said.
Petitioner
Court adjourned the matter until Friday
When the petitioner requested, "Let the death sentence not happen," the court puzzled over how it could issue such an order with regard to a foreign country. "How do we pass that order? Who's going to follow?" Justice Sandeep Mehta said. The court adjourned the matter until Friday, requesting that it be informed of the updated status.