CHOTTANIKKARA: Nimisha Priya's mother, Premakumari, told the media that she hopes that the release of Nimisha Priya, who is in prison in Sana'a after being sentenced to death in the case of killing a Yemeni citizen, will be possible.

Before leaving for Yemen today for talks, Premakumari met the media with lawyer KR Subhash Chandran, who is prosecuting her case in the Delhi High Court.

Premakumari said that she is in touch with Nimisha Priya once or twice a week on the phone and hopes that the Yemeni government will not carry out the death penalty as Nimisha is giving nursing service in prison. It has been agreed that a positive approach can be taken for Nimisha in the discussion held several times with the tribal chiefs. A decision has to be made regarding the amount.

Premakumari will arrive at Aden International Airport in Yemen today via Mumbai from Kochi. The hope is to reach Sana'a by road from there and visit Nimishipriya in jail. There is no passenger flight service from Yemen to India. Only flights arriving for medical purposes are relied upon. Premakumari will leave from Mumbai on such a plane today at 5 pm.

It is the Save Nimisha Priya Action Council that is making arrangements for the talks in Yemen, as India does not have diplomatic relations with the government of Yemen, where the civil war is raging. Many people including MA Yusuff Ali are offering help. Premakumari alleged that the central government did not take a humanitarian approach for Nimisha Priya and despite promises made by Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, the government took a different stand in the court.

The Yemeni court had earlier rejected Nimisha Priya's request to commute the death sentence in the case of the killing of Yemeni citizen Talal Abdumahdi in 2017.