A day after assembly External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Muscat, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday stated he had made an attraction on behalf of Nimisha Priya, the Indian nurse on dying row in Yemen, with a senior Houthi envoy.
In an unique interview to The Hindu right here, Mr. Araghchi, who met Mr. Jaishankar on the sidelines of the Indian Ocean Conference in Muscat on Sunday, stated he subsequently met Mohammed Abdul Salam, particular envoy of Ansar Allah, also referred to as the Houthi group that controls most elements of Yemen.
“We are hopeful. I just spoke to Mr. Abdul Salam, the Ansar Allah envoy, who is here in Muscat. I told him about this case, and he assured me that he will try to find a way forward,” Mr. Araghchi stated.
According to experiences within the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV in Yemen, Mr. Araghchi and Mr. Abdul Salam met in Muscat on Monday for officers talks to debate “recent regional developments, including the enforcement of the Gaza ceasefire”.
The 37-year outdated Ms. Priya, a former nurse from Kerala, was convicted in 2020 for killing her Yemeni enterprise associate, Talal Abdo Mahdi, in 2017.
Her household launched a global marketing campaign for clemency for Ms. Priya, who stated that she had been assaulted and abused by Mahdi for years. Ms. Priya’s household and different teams additionally collected contributions in the direction of reparations or “blood money” which may enable her to be pardoned by the household of the person killed based on the Islamic authorized system.
After she was sentenced to dying by the Supreme Court in Yemen’s capital Sana’a this 12 months, the External Affairs Ministry stated the Indian authorities “is providing all possible assistance in the case”.
“The matter regarding any consideration towards the release of Ms. Nimisha Priya is between the family of the deceased and Ms. Nimisha Priya’s family,” the Ministry stated in response to a query by MP John Brittas within the Rajya Sabha.
The response led to accusations by civil society organisations in Kerala that the federal government had “washed its hands off the matter”.
Diplomatic efforts
Mr. Araghchi’s feedback point out that diplomatic efforts are nonetheless ongoing within the case, significantly given Iran’s appreciable affect over the Houthi group in Yemen.
In January, The Hindu had reported {that a} senior Iranian official visiting Delhi had additionally assured assist from Tehran to India’s case.
Mr. Araghchi, nevertheless, stated that the case wouldn’t be resolved except an alternate authorized argument might be introduced earlier than the courts.
“It is purely a legal case, and has nothing to do with politics,” the Iranian Foreign Minister stated. “It a case about a crime which the lady [Ms. Priya] has unfortunately committed. So they are trying to find a way…. to another legal way out to address this issue and prevent her execution,” he added.
In addition, officers have warned that the present instability in West Asia and the persevering with violence in Yemen are making the decision of the case a extra advanced job.
Yemen is managed at current by three entities. The Iran-aligned Houthis management the executive capital of Sana’a that has all of the necessary establishments, together with the judicial system of Yemen. Ms. Priya is reportedly being held on the Central Prison in Sana’a.
The Saudi-backed authorities and the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) are the opposite two entities that management the remainder of Yemen.
(With inputs from Kallol Bhattacherjee)
Published – February 18, 2025 09:37 pm IST
