“It has been 12 years since I last saw my daughter and I am hopeful of coming back with her,” said 57-year-old Prema Kumari as her voice choked with grief on Friday.
Mother of 34-year-old Nimisha Priya, who is on death row at the Central prison in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, Ms. Prema Kumari will board the Yemenia Airways flight to Aden international airport from Mumbai at 5 p.m. on April 20. Nimisha, a nurse, has been imprisoned for the alleged murder of a Yemeni national in July 2017.
“Her 11-year-old daughter, who is staying with her husband Tomy, is also eagerly awaiting her mother’s return. I am not travelling to Yemen to save my daughter alone. I am also seeking pardon from the family members of the victim,” she said.
Ms. Prema Kumari, who has been working as a domestic help for over six years at Kizhakkambalam near here, said that her journey had been made possible by the support and prayers of many. She will be accompanied by Samuel Jerome Bhaskaran, who has been working in Yemen for over 24 years. He will help her in holding discussions with the family members and the tribe of the victim.
The hurdles in her repeated efforts to travel to Yemen were cleared after the Delhi High Court on her plea asked the Central government in December last to relax its 2017 notification, which barred Indian passport holders from travelling to Yemen.
Subhash Chandran K.R., Supreme Court lawyer, who represented her in the Delhi High Court, said that the tribal leaders had been informed about her visit. “We are hopeful that they will take a favourable decision,” he said.
