Airline advisor and social activist Samuel Jerom Baskaran, who is leading the talks to secure the release of Kerala Nurse Nimisha Priya in Yemen, said that Talal Abdo Mahdi’s family was not included in the decision to postpone his execution, the person who was convicted of murder.
Expanding the leading steps to postpone, Basakaran told The Indian Express that the Yamani government decided after Abdul Malik al -Nehaya, the ruler of Al Vasab region, met the President of Yemen on Friday. A day later, President Rashad al-Alimi agreed to postpone the execution. “The Government of India also joined this mission. There was an instruction to not disclose the details from Yemen officials,” he said.
Before contacting the President through the ruler of Al Vasab region, Baskaran met the Director General of Prosecution and Jail officials last week, where Priya was registered. With the participation of Indian mission officials and local authorities, the negotiator received an argument with Priya’s mother Prema Kumari, arguing to postpone the execution with the President.
In December 2024, it was the Yemeni President who approved Priya’s death sentence. Baskaran said that the President’s order reached the prosecutor on Monday.
Subsequently, on July 14, the Public Prosecutor of the Republic of Yemen issued an order to the Director of the Central Reform Facility, stating that the execution of the punishment of vengeance against Priya has been postponed, based on the direction of the Attorney General.
Sources familiar with the discussion said that communication was delayed in avoiding law and order situation about ending execution. “Talal’s family has not yet forgiven the woman. Many people were proceeding in jail to witness the execution on Wednesday. Therefore, any revelation of the decision to postpone the execution on the initial date would have made an issue of a law and order,” the sources said.
He said, “The final phase (to prevent execution) is agreed with the family. The key to Nimisha’s life rests with Talal’s family. He has to forgive him and our job is to convince the family to forgive him,” he said.
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Samuel, who helped Yemen to vacate Indians in 2015, said that more details of talks could not be revealed at this level. Samuel was in India when the final execution order was deciding on 16 July as the date of last week was revealed. He then went back to Yemen to resume the talks.
In India, government sources stated that the Center had “attempts to seek more time to reach a mutually agreed solution with the other side for the family in recent times”. Priya’s family and supporters are expected to reach the “blood money” deal with the victim’s family to forgive him under the Sharia law.
Sources also said that Indian officials are in regular contact with local jail officials and prosecutor’s office in Yemen.
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