In a dramatic twist in the case of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya’s execution, convicted of murdering Yemeni businessman Talal Abdo Mahdi, the victim’s brother, Abdul Fattah Mahdi, has fiercely criticised Muslim cleric Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar. In a scathing Facebook post, Fattah accused Kanthapuram of spreading unverified claims about Nimisha’s death sentence being postponed. He urged the cleric to directly contact him via a LIVE broadcast to clarify whether the execution has been deferred or not. Fattah also emphasised that no agreement or discussions with intermediaries have taken place. He reaffirmed his family’s demand for justice under Sharia law.
In another development, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday refuted media reports suggesting that the death penalty of Nimisha Priya had been officially overturned. Indian officials confirmed that no such decision has been formally communicated to New Delhi.
The clarification came as Abdul Fattah Mahdi, publicly appealed to Yemen’s Attorney General for the immediate enforcement of the court’s ruling. He cited that the family is continuously demanding qisas—a form of retributive justice under Islamic law that allows for the death sentence in murder cases (Sharia law).
He wrote: I do not think that the office of the esteemed Preacher will publish such statements unless someone has given them false information that we accepted the agreement. The death sentence has been overturned and this is absolutely not right. Let’s say it clear: Kanthapuram Preacher Office should clarify who is this party with whom he contacted, and did we our blood parents contacted us to repost such lies. Rather, we ask him to connect us to them via live broadcast and on any TV channel, so that we can show to everyone that those who call such news are false and fake.
Abdul Fattah Mahdi, brother of Talal Abdo Mahdi, demanded to know who Kanthapuram and his associates contacted regarding the case. He further questioned whether these alleged contacts are blood relatives of him and Talal. Fattah insisted Kanthapuram clarify these details publicly.
He Wrote..
“We don’t believe that such a statement is being issued from the office of such a proud preacher — and mislead them that someone allowed us to have peace. That is totally false information. We are saying this clearly: The devotee of Kanthapuram should clarify – who contacted him? Are they even connected to us blood spirits? These things should be clarified so that such fake news do not spread again.“
Similarly, Kanthapur should clearly demand such people – to know our natural conversations the whole world, we should be connected to those persons through a live debate, at least through any television channel.
“Our Islam religion will never accept – to see a murderer with compassion who has diminished honesty through inhuman brutality. It is not allowed to apologize in the name of religion, and to hide heinous crimes under the cover.“
The Controversy
The controversy started after the office of Grand Mufti Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar had claimed that an agreement was reached with Yemeni authorities to postpone Nimisha’s execution, which they claim was scheduled on July 16. According to the Mufti’s office, the understanding was allegedly facilitated by religious scholars connected to Sheikh Habib Umar bin Hafeez. But the very next day Abdul Fattah took to Facebook to clarify that no such talks had happened between Talal’s family and the Muslim cleric. He had also accused Baskaran Samuel Jerome of not being an advocate and pocketing huge sums in the name of negotiations by claiming to be a mediator. “He made incalculable amounts in the name of negotiations, and the last one is forty thousand dollars.” Mehdi wrote.
Talal’s family have also written to the Yemeni Attorney General. In the letter, they have demanded the immediate implementation of the death sentence for Nimisha Priya according to Sharia law and Yemen’s legal framework, which supports Qisas (retribution). It also emphasised their right to justice and the finality of the ruling.
Nimisha’s Story
Nimisha Priya moved to Yemen in 2008 to support her family and opened a clinic in 2015 with Yemeni citizen Talal Abdo Mehdi as her sponsor. Their professional relationship deteriorated, with Priya accusing Mehdi of misappropriating clinic funds, confiscating her passport, and subjecting her to ongoing harassment and abuse. However, documents also said that Nimisha was married to Talal.
In 2017, attempting to retrieve her documents, including her passport and escape, she sedated Mehdi. It led to his death. Nimisha told the court she killed Talal by administering anaesthesia after he threatened her life, and with her colleague Hanan, dismembered and disposed of his body in a reservoir. After fleeing to another hospital 200 km away, she was arrested following a tip from hospital authorities and has been imprisoned in Sana’a since 2017. She was sentenced to death in 2020. The Save Nimisha Priya Action Council has since campaigned for her release, pursuing legal appeals and negotiating diyat (blood money) to seek a pardon from Mehdi’s family, as permitted under Yemeni law.
