Nimisha Priya case: MEA says India offering all possible assistance, in touch with local authorities & friendly nations

The MEA spokesperson further stated that the government will continue to track the matter closely

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said it is offering all possible assistance in the case of Nimisha Priya, an Indian nurse on death row in Yemen.

“This is a very sensitive matter. The Government of India has been providing all possible assistance. We have provided legal assistance and also appointed a lawyer to assist the family. We have also arranged for regular consular visits by her family and we are also in touch with local authorities and the family members to resolve this issue,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a press briefing.

Priya's death sentence was scheduled to be carried out on Wednesday, July 16, but has been postponed by Yemeni authorities.

Giving details of the case, Jaiswal said that over the last few days, concerted efforts were made to seek more time for Nimisha's family to reach a mutually agreeable solution with the other party. He further stated that the government will continue to track the matter closely and render all possible assistance with reference to the case.

“We are also in touch with some friendly governments in this regard,” he stated.

The nurse, hailing from Kollengode in Kerala's Palakkad district, has been found guilty of murdering a Yemeni citizen in July, 2017.

In 2020, a Yemeni court handed her the death sentence and the country's Supreme Judicial Council dismissed her appeal in November 2023.

The 38-year-old nurse is currently lodged in a jail in Sana'a, the Yemeni capital city that is under the control of Iran-backed Houthis.

According to government sources cited by news agency PTI, the government of India has been rendering all possible assistance in the case since beginning.

Despite the sensitivities involved, Indian officials have been in regular touch with the local jail authorities and the prosecutor's office, leading to securing the postponement, the sources said.