Kerala nurse on death row: Nimisha Priya’s daughter pleads for release, says how much she misses mother | WATCH

News agency PTI on Monday shared a video featuring evangelist Dr KA Paul and Mishel, the 13-year-old daughter of Malayali nurse Nimisha Priya, who is currently on death row in Yemen for murder. The video follows KA Paul’s claim that Yemen has cancelled the Indian nurse’s death sentence.

Mishel, Priya’s only child, is seen alongside her father, Thomas, making an emotional appeal to the Houthi administration for her mother’s release. The video notes that Nimisha and Mishel have not met in over a decade.

The family expresses gratitude and hope

Mishel appears with her father, Thomas, and Indian Christian evangelist Dr KA Paul, urging the Houthi administration to release her mother. Mishel speaks in Malayalam and English, emotionally saying, “I love you, mamma.”

Dr KA Paul, founder of the US-based Global Peace Initiative and a native of Andhra Pradesh, is the main speaker in the video.

The video begins with Paul addressing Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, leader of the Houthi rebel group that controls Sana’a and much of northern Yemen. Paul invites Abdul-Malik and Yemeni President Rashad Mohammad Al-Alimi to a “global peace summit” in New York on September 21.

Paul thanks both of them for expediting Nimisha’s release, emphasising how she has become “the daughter of India” and “the symbol of peace”. He expresses gratitude for the leaders’ gesture, stating that “love is more powerful than hatred”, and offers to mediate for lasting peace in war-torn Yemen.

Thomas, Nimisha Priya’s husband, expresses how much he misses his wife and also thanks the Talal family and the Houthi authorities for halting her scheduled execution, which was set for July 16.

Mishel speaks last, requesting that her mother be released soon. She expresses how much she misses her and her intense desire to see her again.

Lack of recognition of Houthi administration deters diplomacy

Diplomatic efforts in Nimisha’s case remain complex, as most countries — including India and the United States — do not officially recognise the Houthi administration. This lack of recognition has hampered formal negotiations.

Earlier, another prominent religious figure — Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, also known as Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar, the Grand Mufti of India and a respected Sunni Muslim leader from Kerala — had also intervened in the case.

The Indian government has credited its backchannel diplomacy through friendly nations for the postponement of Priya's execution, originally scheduled for July 16.

Meanwhile, ongoing attempts to secure her release through the payment of blood money have yet to succeed, as the victim’s family has repeatedly rejected the offer and continues to insist on the death penalty.