The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday rejected a request by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council to send its delegation to Yemen as part of its efforts to secure the release of the Kerala nurse who is on death row in the Middle East country.
The MEA turned down the request citing security reasons, and asserted that the ministry is making all possible efforts in this case.
Last month, the Supreme Court, while hearing a petition of the Action Council, had directed them to approach the government with their request to visit the strife-torn country.
The MEA, in its letter to the Action Council, said it carefully considered their request, but said it cannot grant permission to the delegation to travel to Sana's, the Yemeni capital city that is under the control of Iran-backed Houthis.
“At the present moment, the Indian Embassy in Yemen has been relocated to Riyadh because of the disturbed security situation in the country. The Ministry of External Affairs is concerned about the delegation's security and well-being there,” it said.
The MEA also noted that there is no diplomatic relationship between New Delhi and the current dispensation in Sana'a.
“The security situation in Sana'a is tenuous, and in recent months, regional developments have made it challenging. Safety of travel is consequently a greater concern,” the ministry noted in its letter.
Nimisha Priya, hailing from Kollangode in Palakkad district of Kerala, was convicted in the murder of a Yemeni citizen in July, 2017 and has been lodged in the Central Prison in Sana’s since then. The 38-year-old's execution was scheduled for July 16, but it was postponed following the intervention of Indian officials.
The government also underscored in its letter that the negotiations to secure the safe release of Nimisha Priya are only between the family of the deceased and the nurse’s family or her family’s authorised representatives.
“Safety and security of Indian nationals is a top priority, and the Ministry of External Affairs is making all possible efforts in this case as well,” the MEA said.