Nimisha Priya case: Viral post seeks donation to save Kerala nurse on death row in Yemen, MEA calls it FAKE

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has dismissed the viral post seeking donations to save Nimisha Priya, the Kerala nurse on death row in Yemen and said it was ‘fake’.

“We have seen claims being made on social media seeking monetary contributions into a GoI designated bank account in the Nimisha Priya case,” MEA addressed the viral post, and said, “This is a fake claim.”

This comes after evangelist and founder of Global Peace Initiative Dr KA Paul sought donations to save Nimisha in a “Government of India account”. He said they require ₹8.3 crore.

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

The 38-year-old Indian national's execution was scheduled for July 16, but it was postponed following intervention of Indian officials.

She is currently lodged in a jail in Sana'a, the Yemeni capital city that is under the control of Iran-backed Houthis.

On August 14, the Supreme Court was informed that there was “no immediate threat” to Nimisha.

“Negotiations are going on. As of now there is no immediate threat. Kindly adjourn it by four weeks. Hopefully, everything will be over by that time,” the counsel for petitioner organisation Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council said.

The petitioner's counsel had earlier told the apex court that payment of blood money to the family of the deceased, which is permissible under the Sharia law, could be explored. He said the victim's family might pardon Priya if blood money was paid.

Reportedly, India doesn't have any diplomatic presence in Yemen, and diplomats in the Indian mission in Saudi Arabia were looking into the matter.

Another fake update

Recently, some reports claimed that her death sentence has been revoked and an agreement has been reached for her release. However, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said they were fake.

“Such reports are incorrect. This is a sensitive matter and we urge all sides to stay away from misinformation,” he said.

What is the Nimisha Priya case?

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

On July 17, India said it was in touch with Yemeni authorities as well as certain friendly nations as part of efforts to reach a "mutually agreeable solution" in the case.

According to Yemeni court documents, Priya allegedly drugged and murdered Talal Abdo Mahdi in July 2017.