Nimisha Priya case: Mother, daughter reunite in Yemeni jail after a wait of 7 years

After a seven-year-long wait and multiple court battles in India, Premakumari, a senior citizen hailing from Kerala, has been able to meet her daughter Nimisha Priya, a nurse who is on death row in a Yemeni Prison.

Priya's India-based lawyer Subhash Chandran confirmed that the mother-daughter duo met at the jail in Sana'a, Yemen, during the afternoon hours of Wednesday. He said that the jail authorities permitted the mother-daughter duo to spend a few hours together and even allowed them to have lunch on the premises.

Since 2017, India strictly prohibited its nationals from travelling to Yemen, owing to the deteriorating internal security situation there. Only those with special permission from the Indian Government can undertake travel to Yemen. For others, it is a punishable offence.

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Hopeful of meeting her daughter, who is on death row in a prison in Houthi-controlled Sana'a, Premakumari travelled from Kochi in Kerala to Aden, Yemen, during the weekend. She was accompanied by Samuel Jones, who has been helping the family in getting access to Priya and attempting to get her released from jail. On Monday, April 22, Premakumari and Samuel undertook an overnight car journey from Aden to Sana'a and reached the Houthi-controlled region on Tuesday.

With the support from Indian diplomatic representatives, they completed the formalities that were required to meet Priya, which eventually led to their meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

Recalling the emotional reunion, Nimisha Priya's motherPremakumaritold WION,"When she first appeared and walked towards us, my daughter Nimisha came wearing a purdah and I couldn't recognise her... then I got up and she came towards me and hugged me and said mummy... I had initially feared that I wouldn't be able to meet her directly..."

"On seeing her, I broke into tears and hugged her... Nimisha offered me hope and courage and asked me not to cry and expressed optimism that things will improve... she was also in tears.."

"We haven't met in so many years and I'm seeing her now in 2024, after getting her married off many years ago... due to the grace of God and Yemeni authorities, she is doing well," she added.

Priya's India-based lawyer Subhash Chandran told WION that they are making attempts to meet the family of Talal (the victim) and plead for mercy. This is a possibility, owing to the concept of 'Diyah' or 'Blood Money', which is practised in Islamic Sharia Law.

'Diyah' is the compensation paid by the perpetrator's family, as demanded by the victim's family. Recently, thousands of people from Kerala and even non-resident Keralites crowdfunded Rs. 34 crore or around USD 4 millionto pay 'Diyah' and free Keralite Abdul Rahim, who has been on death row in Saudi Arabia. Rahim is said to have accidentally caused the death of a differently abled child that he was taking care of.

Hailing from a poor family in Kerala's Palakkad district, Nimisha went to Yemen in 2008 and worked as a nurse in a Government-run hospital in Sana'a. Eyeing better earning opportunities, she quit her job and started her own clinic.

Priya's lawyer maintains that Priya and another woman had started a clinic with Talal, who later subjected them to physical and mental abuse, and confiscated their passports. In a desperate bid to escape the abuse and flee, it is said that Priya and the Yemeni woman drugged Talal, which is suspected to have led to his death.

The case got further complicated after Talal's mutilated body was found by the authorities in Yemen. Nimisha's lawyer maintains that she was only responsible for drugging the abuser and that she isn't aware of what transpired after her escape bid.