Thiruvananthapuram: The Save Nimisha Priya Forum has expressed optimism over Iran’s potential involvement in securing the release of Malayali nurse Nimisha Priya, who has been imprisoned in Yemen. The forum believes that recent talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Houthi leader Abdul Salam could play a crucial role in her release.
Babu John, convener of the Save Nimisha Priya Forum, shared with ETV Bharat that Iran’s intervention could significantly help facilitate productive discussions with the family of Talal Abdul Mahdi, the Yemeni citizen whose death led to Nimisha's imprisonment. India had earlier requested Iran’s assistance in the matter, and the foreign ministers of both India and Iran had met in Muscat, discussing the possibility of resolving the case.
Iran’s diplomatic engagement continued with a direct meeting between Araghchi and Abdul Salam, during which the issue of Nimisha Priya’s release was reportedly discussed. The Iranian Foreign Minister confirmed that Yemen is currently discussing the case.
The legal trouble surrounding Nimisha Priya, a native of Kollangode, Palakkad, dates back to 2017. The case revolves around the murder of Yemeni national Talal Abdul Mahdi. Nimisha, who moved to Yemen in 2012 to work as a nurse after marrying her husband Tommy, became entangled in a web of intrigue after starting a clinic in partnership with Mahdi.
Amid the outbreak of war in Yemen, Nimisha was unable to return home, leaving her vulnerable to Mahdi's abuse. She and another Yemeni woman were subjected to physical and mental torture, with Mahdi allegedly seizing their passports and documents. Unable to bear his harassment, Nimisha and the Yemeni woman tried to escape with their passports after injecting them with drugs. However, the police caught them and put them in jail. In the meantime, Talal's body was found in their clinic and they were charged with murder.
Nimisha was unable to convince the Yemeni trial court that she was not responsible for Mahdi’s death. The court sentenced her to death, while the Yemeni woman received a life imprisonment sentence. An appeal to the trial court was denied, and the Yemeni Supreme Court also rejected her case. Yeman President also approved capital punishment.
With the threat of execution looming, Nimisha's only hope of escaping the death penalty now rests on a potential pardon from Mahdi’s heirs, a process that could be facilitated by the payment of blood money. Nimisha’s mother, Premakumari, has spent several months in Yemen advocating for her daughter’s release, continuing to pursue every available avenue for her freedom.
