‘Take my life...Don’t put the Yemeni family in bad light. He is my son,’ says Nimisha Priya’s grieving mother

Nimisha Priya’s mother, Premakumari, made a heart-wrenching appeal on Wednesday, hours after the scheduled execution of her daughter was postponed by Yemeni authorities. Speaking to Mathrubhumi News, she said, “As all are aware, I am going through a difficult and challenging phase.”

In a voice laden with emotion, she questioned, “Should I witness the destruction of my daughter in Yemen?” While she expressed gratitude to the Indian government and embassy for their efforts, she admitted she was worried about reports suggesting that “things are not favourable” for her daughter.

She also urged all those intervening on behalf of her daughter, including the media, to refrain from portraying the family of the Yemeni national in bad light. “I beg her pardon. Let them take my life instead of my daughter,” she said. “The deceased is my own son,” she added, equating the loss of the Yemeni family to her own pain.

Execution temporarily put on hold

The execution of Nimisha Priya, a 38-year-old Indian nurse from Kollengode in Kerala's Palakkad district, has been postponed, sources in the Indian government confirmed on Tuesday. She had been sentenced to death by a Yemeni court for the murder of a local citizen in July 2017.

Her execution was scheduled for July 16. However, local authorities in Yemen deferred the process following intervention by Indian officials.

India’s diplomatic efforts face limits

The Indian government, which has no direct diplomatic presence in Yemen, has been working through its embassy in Saudi Arabia. Officials have been in constant contact with jail authorities and the prosecutor’s office in Sana’a, the capital city under the control of Iran-backed Houthis.

Efforts were made to reach a “mutually agreeable” solution between Priya’s family and the deceased’s family. Attempts to secure her release by offering “diyat” — or blood money — were also explored but did not progress due to unspecified difficulties.

Supreme Court updated on India’s stand

On Monday, the Indian government informed the Supreme Court that it was doing all that was “utmost possible” to save Nimisha Priya from execution.

“There is a point up to which the Government of India can go and we have reached that point,” Attorney General R Venkataramani told a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta. He added the government remained committed to saving Indian citizens.

The top court was hearing a plea seeking a direction to the Centre to use diplomatic channels to intervene in Priya’s case.