Smoke rises after U.S. strikes in Sanaa, Yemen on December 31, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The case of Nimisha Priya is sensitive and is being handled with great caution as it involves the Houthis, who control the Yemeni capital Sanaa and with whom India does not maintain any official contact, sources here indicated on Tuesday (December 31, 2024).
Officials familiar with the case said Yemen is being run by three different groups, with the Houthis in charge of the capital and in a capacity to influence all important institutions of the country located in Sanaa, making the case unique.
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Earlier, the official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said the Ministry of External Affairs was aware that the family of Ms. Nimisha was “exploring relevant options”.
Apart from its internal political breakdown, Yemen’s major cities, including Sanaa, are being bombed by Israeli, U.S. and U.K. fighter jets that are targeting the Houthis, thereby contributing to the factors relevant to the case.
“The government is extending all possible help in the matter,” said Mr. Jaiswal in a statement issued on Tuesday (December 31, 2024).
Ms. Nimisha received the death sentence after being convicted of killing her Yemeni business partner Talal Abdo Mahdi. In 2014, she had reportedly received support from Talal to start a hospital business but ties between the two soured subsequently to such an extent that she accused him of abuse and intimidation. In 2017, acting on the suggestion of at least one local person, Ms. Nimisha administered sedatives to Talal to retrieve her travel documents which led to his death.
Following the death of Talal, she along with another Yemeni national reportedly dismembered the dead body and disposed it, prompting local authorities to arrest Ms. Nimisha.
The 2018 death sentence to Ms. Nimisha was confirmed by Yemeni President Rashad Al Alimi on Monday which has brought to the light the complicated nature of the case.
Sources indicated that negotiation is currently underway to resolve the case through blood money, a standard procedure within the Yemeni legal system. However, they pointed out significant uncertainty in the case that comes from within the Yemeni state structure, and from the Houthis being in control on the ground and in active conflict with major Western powers.
Published – December 31, 2024 10:32 pm IST
