On Wednesday, June 19, the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council received approval from the Union government to transfer the pre-negotiation money to release the Malayali nurse Nimisha Priya from a Yemeni jail. The money will be transferred via the Indian embassy in Sanaa. Nimisha Priya, who is a nurse from Palakkad, was found guilty of murdering the Yemen citizen Talal Abdo Mahdi in 2017.
According to the Action Council, the pre-negotiation amount is estimated as 40,000 US dollars (Rs 33.38 lakh) apart from the other expenses. After collecting the money, it will be handed over through the Ministry of External Affairs account in Delhi to the Indian Embassy in Sanaa.
The pre-negotiation discussions will be conducted by a Yemeni lawyer, who was appointed by the Indian embassy and with the help of two Indian embassy officers, along with Nimisha Priya’s mother Prema Kumar and Samuel Jerrome, a member of the Action Council.
“The Indian Embassy informed us that we need to arrange the pre-negotiation money within one week,” Babu John, one of the Action Council members, told TNM. “Nimisha’s mother and Samuel Jerrome have been staying in Yemen for the last two months. We have to collect money for their expenses too,” he added.
“The amount of blood money can be decided only after the first round of pre-negotiation. As the discussion happens with the knowledge and leadership of the Indian Embassy, they will inform us of the amount and other details after the discussion. However, the first step is to collect the money and initiate the first round of negotiation,” Babu John added.
According to sources, it is likely that the blood money will reach around Rs 3 crores.
On June 18, the Action Council conducted a press meet to appeal to the people for contributions. Nimisha’s mother also appeared on a video call and requested financial contributions to save her daughter.
On April 24, Nimisha's mother Prema Kumari travelled to Yemen to initiate the procedure to withdraw the death penalty and also to negotiate with the deceased’s family about the blood money. The visit turned emotional as Nimisha and her mother met after 11 years in the Yemen jail. According to sources, Yemeni authorities allowed them to spend more time than is customary.
ACCOUNT NAME AND DETAILS- SAVE NIMISHAM PRIYA INTERNATIONAL ACTION COUNCIL
Current Ac no : 00000040847370877. IFSC Code : SBIN0000893, SBI - PALAKKAD