Houthi-controlled court sentences 16 Yemenis to death and 13 others to prison
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Raven Ruma
- . December 19, 2022
- . Update: December 19, 2022 2:46 pm
The Houthi-controlled court has sentenced 16 Yemenis to death and 13 others to prison, accusing them of working with the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, according to a Sanaa-based attorney.
Abdul Majeed Sabra, a Yemeni lawyer, said the Houthis accused those Yemenis of working with the militia’s Yemeni opponents. The lawyer said that the Specialized Criminal Court of First Instance announced the verdict after convicting them of communicating with the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy. Those people are from Saada, a city in the northwest of Yemen.
Earlier in October, they were placed on trial for the first time. The Houthi court accused them of communicating with the coalition and the militia’s opponents between 2014 and 2020.
According to Arab News, the lawyer filed an appeal against the ruling. The lawyer has said those detainees are civilians, including teachers and farmers. He reportedly said, “We will file an appeal with the Supreme Court.”
Read | Yemenis slam ‘unjust’ Houthi conduct for govt workers
A Yemeni government official slammed the ruling. They branded the charges as “malicious” and said that the Houthi militia used the court system to punish Yemeni government supporters and confiscate their property in Houthi-controlled regions. Faisal Al-Majidi, an undersecretary of the Yemeni Ministry of Justice, accused the militia of confiscating the property of government supporters and militia opponents.
Al-Majidi reportedly said, “These acts of mass killing expose the Houthi militia’s criminal attitude towards the Saada population.”
In 2014, the Houthi militia seized control of several parts of the northern provinces of the country. The group forced the Yemeni government out of Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. Since the first day of their military coup, the Houthis have committed several crimes against civilians, according to the activists. Reportedly, they kidnapped civilians and charged them with collaborating with the Yemeni government. Around eight years of conflict have affected the peace of the country.
