Kochi: Nimisha Priya, who has been sentenced to death by a court in Yemen, has sent an emotional letter to all those who strive to save her life by sitting in different parts of the world. She said she was expecting the arrival of jail authorities anytime as messengers of death. She sent the letter to the office-bearers of "Save Nimisha Priya Action Council" through social media on Friday.
“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all those respectable persons living in Kerala and abroad, especially those belonging to "Save Nimisha Priya Action Council", who are making an all-out attempt to save my life,” the letter said.
The action council is doing everything possible to save the life of Nimisha Priya. She had earlier filed an appeal against the death sentence with the help of a lawyer from India and the Indian Embassy. But the Yemen High Court rejected her plea.
Though the case is likely to be referred to the Supreme Court for consideration, what is worrying is that usually there is no practice of reviewing the verdict in such cases in Yemen.
Meanwhile, the action council has launched a massive campaign. Efforts are on to reach an agreement with the relatives of the Yemeni citizen whom Nimisha Priya was accused of killing during a brawl. A campaign is already going on in social media for raising an amount of Rs 4 crores for giving blood money to the kin of the slain Yemeni citizen. Many people have already given contributions to the fund. But, the mission is to find large sums of money.
The action council activists also visited various political and social leaders and requested their help. Many have offered support.
Nimisha Priya’s mother and daughter, hailing from Kollengode in Palakkad district, too visited various leaders, seeking support for her release.
The family is pinning hopes on the promise of help extended by Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan and CPM State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. They also wrote letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking help.
Thangal offers help
The daughter of Nimisha Priya met Indian Union Muslim League State president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal at the latter's house and requested his intervention to secure the release of her mother from the Yemen jail.
She made an emotional appeal to Thangal to "save her mummy from the gallows' '. She was accompanied by her grandmother and the members of the Action Council. Thangal promised her all possible assistance.
Thangal said that, unlike other Gulf countries, the ties with Yemen were not so strong. But still, attempts would be made to ensure timely intervention at the government and Embassy levels to secure Nimisha Priya's release.
