A mother is in Yemen to snatch her daughter from the jaws of death

The New Year was just two days away. “The obstacles to her mother’s repeated attempts to travel to Yemen were finally cleared when the Delhi High Court, acting on her plea, directed the Centre in December to relax its 2017 notification barring Indian passport holders from entering Yemen due to the ongoing civil war,” explains Subhash Chandran, who represented Premakumari in the case. Eventually, we decided to release it on December 27 to expedite contact with the victim’s family.” Despite the Houthi Supreme Council president’s approval of Nimisha’s execution – Sanaa is controlled by the Houthi rebels — her family and the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council remain hopeful. “The death penalty can still be waived if the victim’s family agrees to pardon her in exchange for blood money,” says Samuel, an aviation consultant who has been based in Yemen since 1999. Diplomatic efforts appear to have gained momentum after the MEA announced on December 31, 2024, that the Government of India “is extending all possible assistance to Malayali nurse Nimisha Priya, who is on death row at the central prison in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.” The Ministry acknowledged, however, that the case posed significant challenges due to India’s lack of official ties with the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.