MEA advises Nimisha Priya’s mother not to travel to Yemen: ‘We don’t have diplomatic presence to look after you’

In the wake of the High Court directive, Kumari and four others, including Priya’s 10-year-old daughter, had submitted relevant documents with the Ministry seeking travel permission to Yemen.

On December 1, Tanuj Shankar, the Gulf affairs director at the Ministry, informed Kumari that the matter of travel has been considered carefully by the Ministry.

Denying permission, the Ministry letter said that the Indian embassy in that country has been relocated to Djibouti because of turbulent conditions. “We are therefore concerned that we don’t have a diplomatic presence to look after you and ensure your well-being. Furthermore, there are no formal relationships established with the current dispensation at Sanaa. You will be aware that in recent months, regional developments have become more challenging and safety of travel consequently a greater concern,’’ states the letter.

Saying that it would not be advisable for her safety going to Yemen, the Ministry official urged her to reconsider. The letter informed her that the Government is making all possible efforts in this regard.

Priya has been languishing in a Yemeni jail since 2017 in connection with the murder of her estranged business partner Talal Abdo Mahdi. A court had in 2020 sentenced her to death.

Vice-chairperson of the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council and Delhi-based lawyer Deepa Joseph, who was also planning to go to Yemen along with her family, said that without the Centre’s support, they cannot engage in negotiations. “We have to think about the next course of action. In Yemen, they have formed an execution committee. But, if the Indian government remains involved, we would get more time for negotiations,” she said.