A curious development unfolded on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) morning about the reported commutation of Malayali nurse Nimisha Priya’s death sentence in Yemen. An ANI tweet about the reprieve, shared by Sunni leader Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar on X, disappeared from his social media handle.

On Monday night, Mr. Aboobacker Musliar had announced that Yemeni authorities had waived the death sentence following a series of discussions involving scholars appointed by senior Yemeni Sufi scholar Sheikh Habib Omer bin Hafiz, Northern Yemen representatives and international diplomats.

The news had been widely reported by media outlets, including ANI, which Mr. Aboobacker Musliar had shared on his X handle. However, when ANI deleted the original tweet, it automatically disappeared from Mr. Aboobacker Musliar’s X handle, leading to confusions and speculations about Nimisha Priya’s fate.

Kanthapuram maintains stance

Mr. Aboobacker Musliar maintained on Tuesday that the Yemeni authorities had indeed decided to revoke the death sentence handed to Nimisha Priya, accused of murdering Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi in 2017.

According to sources close to Mr. Aboobacker Musliar, the next step is negotiating with Talal Abdo Mahdi’s family to determine Nimisha Priya’s sentence – either life imprisonment or release upon payment of blood money.

Mr. Aboobacker Musliar’s claim about waiving of Nimisha Priya’s execution was confirmed on Monday night by Sarhan Shamsan Al Wiswabi, a Yemeni activist and spokesperson for the Action Council for Talal Mahdi’s Justice in Yemen, through a Facebook post.

Mr. Wiswabi said in his post that due to the strong intervention of religious scholars, the death sentence was waived. He said it would now be either life imprisonment or release on payment of blood money.

Her planned July 16 execution was earlier deferred following multiple interventions. The Centre claimed it had intervened, while Mr. Aboobacker Musliar had claimed he did so through his close association with revered Yemeni Sufi scholar Sheikh Habib Omer bin Hafiz.

Mr. Aboobacker Musliar’s intervention, however, sparked a controversy. Several individuals and groups tried to claim credit for the reprieve, while others criticised him for his involvement.

Some Keralites opposing Mr. Aboobacker Musliyar’s efforts went further, expressing sympathy for Talal Abdo Mahdi’s family on Facebook. They urged Abdul Fatah Mahdi, the victim’s brother, to reject any potential pardon for Nimisha Priya and instead advocated for her capital punishment, adding complexity to the situation.