Our Bureau
New Delhi
The nurse Nimisha Priya, who was set to be convicted in Yemen, has got a bit of relief as her execution has been postponed with hectic parleys underway. Priya was about to be executed on July 16th but it has been postponed for a day at least. However, this does not mean that she would be released or sent back to India.
Nimisha Priya was sentenced to die by the local authorities in Yemen for killing a man who was harassing her. She is currently kept in the Sanaa, the capital of Yemen held by the Houthi’s. This is something that is hurting her case even more as India has no diplomatic relations with the Houthi rebels who hold the city Sanaa.
The Government of India yesterday stated that they had done everything in their limits to stop the execution of the nurse held in Yemen. They stated that there is no option other than giving ‘Blood Money’ to the family of the one who was killed so that Priya can be saved from execution. The reports have informed that the government has been doing everything in its power to provide any assistance necessary in the matter.
The Central Government even made efforts to seek more time for the family of the convicted nurse to reach a solution with the family of the victim who was murdered. Indian officials have regularly been in touch with the authorities appointed in local jail and the prosecutor’s office to buy some more time for the nurse and delay the execution.
The government even appointed a Yemeni lawyer who could represent Priya in the local courts but that too with no success as all the petitions by them were dismissed. Attorney General R Venkataramani speaking for the government told the Supreme Court, “There is not much that the Indian government can do…we tried whatever was possible. The only way is if the family (of the Yemeni man) agrees to accept the ‘blood money’.”
