President: I have no problem with Afrasheem murder talk

President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has said that he had no problem with people talking about the murder of former lawmaker and Islamic scholar, Dr. Afrasheem Ali.

President Yameen made the remark in his speech during his special visit to Fuvahmulah last Monday – in which he said that talk of Afrasheem’s murder should, however, not escalate into defamatory comments against anyone.

“Talk of Afrasheem’s death, his murder, is no problem to me. It should be talked about often.

But than if it escalates into false accusations, it is punishable even by the Islamic Sharia. That’s defamation. Serious defamation,” he said.

President Yameen’s comments come after the release of a documentary regarding Afrasheem’s murder titled “Dr. Afrasheem’s murder, the end of the family” – aired by private television channel – RajjeTV last week.

In the documentary, Afrasheem’s brother, Abdul Nasir Ali talked about strong suspicions of the former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor’s involvement in the murder, and talked about the reasons for his suspicions.

Nasir said that he did not believe the trail ended at Adheeb, and said that investigation into the case had been put at a standstill since the current government came into power.

Dr. Afrasheem was murdered on the stairwell at the ground floor of the apartment building he lived in – H. Funviluge – on October 1, 2012 – as he returned back to his home after appearing in a show on Television Maldives.

Speaking during the inauguration of R. Ifuru Airport on May 28, 2015, President Yameen warned that he would press criminal charges against anyone who falsely accused him of involvement in Afrasheem’s murder.

“Major allegations are being made against me. It will be met with just punishment during this administration. I have decided to sue the people who are making these allegations. Not defamation lawsuits. But criminal charges. The charges will stick. I will sue Sheikh Imran,” said President Yameen.