Nimisha Priya's release: No fundraising underway, rumours are false, says Ministry of External Affairs

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs has dismissed as false the claims circulating online about fundraising for the release of Nimisha Priya, a Malayali nurse facing a death sentence in Yemen. The clarification was issued following a social media post by K.A. Paul, who asserted that he was part of negotiations for her release.

Paul had posted on X claiming that Rs 8.3 crore was required for Nimisha Priya's release and shared a bank account number for donations. It was against this backdrop that the Ministry’s fact-check division stepped in with a clarification.

Meanwhile, Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar had earlier said that he does not wish to bypass the central government in matters related to Nimisha Priya's release. He also stated that all interventions and progress related to the case were communicated to the central government.

Nimisha Priya was sentenced to death for the 2017 murder of a Yemeni citizen named Talal Abdo Mahdi. She was accused of killing him and hiding his dismembered body in a water tank. The court handed her the death penalty. Nimisha can only be released if Talal's family accepts 'blood money' and grants a pardon. However, his family, including his brother, has demanded that the execution be carried out quickly and has refused to accept any compensation.