Kerala nurse a Houthi captive, no Yemen president nod for death sentence

KOCHI: Yemeni embassy in India said Monday that its president Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi has not ratified the death sentence of Nimisha Priya, saying nurse from Kerala convicted of murdering a Yemeni citizen is “currently detained in Sana’a, under authority of Houthi militia”.
An embassy statement said “the entire case has been handled by Houthi militia, and therefore Rashad Al-Alimi, chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Republic of Yemen, has not ratified the judgment”.
Nimisha from Palakkad district was convicted in 2018 of murdering Yemeni citizen Talal Mahdi in 2017. She has since been in Yemen’s prison.
Unverified media reports suggested that the approval for the death sentence came from Mehdi Al-Mashat, the rebel president and leader of Houthi Supreme Political Council.
Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council called for the immediate intervention of India’s external ministry. Nimisha’s lawyer Subhash Chandran said the council is willing to pay any amount as “blood money” but “the govt should take the initiative”.