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‘In touch with friendly governments’: MEA on Nimisha Priya Yemen death sentence case
Randhir Jaiswal said that efforts have been made to get more time for Priya’s family to talk to the victim’s family to reach a solution with them.
The government of India on Tuesday said that it is providing all necessary assistance to Nimisha Priya and her family after her execution in Yemen was put on hold just a day before it was scheduled to happen on July 16. He added that the Indian government is in touch with “friendly governments”, possibly to help with the case.
Calling the case “sensitive”, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the Indian government has provided legal assistance to Priya’s family and also appointed a lawyer to assist them. He added that regular consular visits have also been arranged for and that the government is in constant touch with the local authorities and the family members to resolve the issue.
‘Sensitive matter’
“This is a sensitive matter and the Government of India has been offering all possible assistance in the case. We have provided legal assistance and appointed a lawyer to assist the family. We have also arranged regular consular visits and been in constant touch with the local authorities and the family members to resolve the issue,” Jaiswal said while addressing a press conference.
He added that efforts have been made to get more time for Priya’s family to talk to the victim’s family to reach a solution with them. “This included concerted efforts in recent days to seek more time for the family of Ms. Nimisha Priya to reach a mutually agreeable solution with the other party,” he said.
“The local authorities in Yemen have postponed carrying out her sentence scheduled for July 16, 2025. We continue to closely follow the matter and render all possible assistance. We are also in touch with some friendly governments,” he added.
Jaiswal’s remarks come days after the Centre on Friday informed the Supreme Court that efforts to secure a pardon for Nimisha Priya should be undertaken solely by her family, saying the involvement of external organisations is unlikely to yield results.
Nimisha Priya, a resident of Kerala’s Palakkad district, was sentenced to death in 2020 by a Yemeni court after she was found guilty of murdering a Yemeni citizen in July 2017. Her appeal was subsequently rejected by the country's Supreme Judicial Council in November 2023.
She was scheduled to be executed on July 16, however, after the intervention of Grand Mufti of India Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musaliyar, her execution was put on hold. The Grand Mufti said he had reached out to scholars in Yemen, urging them to consider the release of 38-year-old Nimisha Priya.
