The New Year was only two days away. But for Premakumari, waking up in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, a heritage city wracked by an endless civil war, hope felt like a distant, fleeting dream. His fragile hope was dashed when he received the sad news: Mahdi al-Mashat, the president of the Supreme Political Council of Houthis, authorized the killing of his daughter, Nimisha Priya, 36. A nurse from Kerala, Nimisha has been imprisoned in the central prison of Sanaa since 2017, convicted of genocide from Yemen Talal Abdo Mahdi, his business partner.
“We thought that everything had gone well when his lawyer informed us of the President’s decision,” said Premakumari on the phone, her voice trembling with grief. “Time flies. I am asking everyone to come together to make a last ditch effort to save his life. I cannot bear to think about his murder, even for a second.”
The purpose of the work council
The 57-year-old woman’s battle to save her daughter has been long and difficult. From Kizhakkambalam village in Ernakulam, where she was working as a domestic help, she started the arduous journey to Sanaa to meet Nimisha in the central jail on April 24, 2024. From there, she found shelter with the family of Samuel Jerome Bhaskaran, a key member of Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council. The group, which includes elected representatives, lawyers and human rights activists, was formed to ensure that Nimisha has access to justice and collect blood money – compensation paid to the victim’s family in accordance with Shariah law – if the victim’s family agrees to forgive him. He was reunited with his daughter in September, accompanied by two nuns who prayed for her in the central prison.
Nimisha, a native of Kollengode in Palakkad district, left for Yemen in 2008 with dreams of a better future for her parents, who worked as domestic help. Determined to overcome the challenges of working abroad, he found a job at a government-run hospital in Sanaa. She worked there until 2011, before returning to Kerala to marry Tomy Thomas, a native of Thodupuzha in Idukki district.
Hopes were dashed because of the civil war
The civil war that led to an uprising by the Iran-linked Houthis who gained control of Sanaa in September 2014 dashed his dreams. The Indian government issued an advisory in April 2015 asking Indians not to travel to Yemen due to the deteriorating political and security situation caused by the conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen.
“I was preparing to go with him to Yemen with our two-year-old daughter when the civil war broke out,” Tomy recalled from his one-room rented house in Thodupuzha. “Nimisha had gone to Yemen a month and a half before. By the time we got the visas and arranged the travel expenses, everything had changed.” He remembers well the day Nimisha called to warn him not to go. “He told me that a war broke out. At first, I didn’t believe him because there were no reports that confirmed it. Then, the news began to enter the international media. Before I fully understood the situation, Nimisha was almost unreachable,” he said. Now 48, Tomy works as an autorickshaw driver for a living.
When problems arise
In 2015, Nimisha quit her low-paying hospital job to start her own clinic. However, Yemeni law required the country’s people to own and run businesses, forcing him to work with Talal Abdo Mahdi to establish the business. That same year, Mahdi went with him to Kerala when he came home for a month-long vacation. A petition filed by Premakumari in December 2023 before the Delhi High Court, seeking the Centre’s permission to visit her daughter, alleged a fatal error. According to the complaint, Mahdi allegedly stole Nimisha’s wedding photo during their visit to Kerala and scanned it to claim that he was married to her.
“Over time, the relationship between Nimisha and Mahdi deteriorated. He started abusing her and stealing all the money from the clinic. When he spoke to him about the money laundering, he became very hostile,” the petition said.
The document also claims that Mahdi took her passport to prevent her from leaving Yemen and abused her physically and mentally while under the influence of drugs. “Unable to bear the torture, Nimisha filed a complaint with the police in Sanaa. However, instead of taking action against Mahdi, the authorities arrested him and detained him for six days. When he was released, the intensity of the torture increased significantly,” he said.
Desperate measures
In July 2017, looking for a way out, Nimisha sought advice from the warden of the prison near her clinic where Mahdi was detained for various charges. The warden suggested that Mahdi be put to sleep so that he could get his passport. In his first attempt, the sedation failed due to drug abuse. He also tried to use a stronger sedative, but Mahdi died within minutes of an apparent drug overdose, the petition said.
About a month later, Nimisha was arrested near Yemen’s border with Saudi Arabia after Mahdi’s mutilated body was found in a water tank. This incident was widely reported by the media, with local television stations calling him the main suspect. In 2020, the trial court sentenced Nimisha to death, a decision that was upheld by the Supreme Judicial Council in 2023. Efforts by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council and her family to save her gained momentum after her lawyer revealed how she could be helped. The appeals court had opened the possibility of receiving blood money.
It was interrupted by the travel ban
However, the travel ban imposed by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to Yemen on September 26, 2017, due to the fragile political and security situation in the country has hindered the family’s efforts to visit Sanaa.
“Obstacles to her mother’s repeated attempts to travel to Yemen were finally lifted when the Delhi High Court, responding to her plea, ordered the Center in December to relax its 2017 notification barring Indian passport holders from entering Yemen due to the ongoing civil war,” explained Subhash Chandran, who represented Premakumari in the case.
The court asked the Center to consider the clause in the notification that the travel ban can be relaxed by the Center for specific and important reasons for travel. It said that the Center could grant limited time at the request of the applicant, who was required to travel at his own risk without being liable to the Government of India or any State Government concerned.
To raise a lot of money
Premakumari arrived in Sanaa on April 23, 2024, but negotiations soon hit a roadblock. A lawyer working for the Indian mission in Sanaa is demanding a whopping $40,000 for pre-negotiations. According to Yemeni law, Nimisha’s family has not been able to contact the victim’s family members, and needs to hire negotiators to reach them.
“We were able to raise the first installment of $20,000 through fundraising in May,” Chandran said. “However, after the payment, there was no clear communication about the continuation of the negotiations. Given this huge amount, there was disagreement within the council regarding the release of the second installment. We finally decided to release it on December 27 in order to speed up communication with the family of the deceased.”
Although the president of the Houthi Supreme Council has authorized Nimisha’s execution – Sanaa is controlled by Houthi rebels – her family and the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council are still hopeful. “The death sentence can still be revoked if the victim’s family agrees to forgive him in exchange for blood money,” said Samuel, an aviation consultant based in Yemen since 1999. He admits that the delay in the release of the second installment has stalled the progress. in the talks but he insists that efforts are ongoing. “We are working to reconnect with the lawyer,” he added.
Diplomatic efforts seem to be gaining momentum after the MEA announced on December 31, 2024, that the Government of India is “extending all assistance to Malayali nurse Nimisha Priya, who is on death row in a central prison in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.” The ministry admitted, however, that the case posed major challenges due to India’s lack of formal relations with the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels. Adding a twist to the ongoing drama, reports surfaced suggesting that Iran may intervene on Nimisha’s behalf.
While uncertainty clouds Iran’s mediation effort, her husband sees it as a glimmer of hope. “There is hope,” he said, his voice firm but filled with longing. MEA officials have been in regular contact with him, giving him updates and assurances.
Frantic efforts are underway
“Over the years, my daughter and I have met all the political leaders in Kerala that we could reach. The Union government was supporting them, although I understand their problems. “Iran’s involvement, given its influence over the Houthis, is a glimmer of hope,” he adds.
For their daughter, who hasn’t seen her mother since she was two years old, the truth remains murky. Now studying in class 7 and attending a boarding school in Kothamangalam, Ernakulam, the little girl seems to be unaware of the plight of her mother’s condition.
“I told her that her mother is in jail for something she didn’t do,” said Tomy, her voice choked with emotion. “He only knows his mother through voice notes and rare video calls. Every time she receives a message from him, she replies, urging him to come home soon. I hope his wish will come true soon.”
Published – January 09, 2025 07:30 pm IST