Yemeni Human Rights Organizations: Houthi Group Uses Judiciary to Liquidate Opponents
Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
A group of Yemeni civil society organizations expressed their deep concern and condemnation regarding the verdicts issued by the so-called “Specialized Appellate Criminal Division” affiliated with the Houthi group in Sana’a. These verdicts upheld primary rulings that sentence three civilians from Saada governorate to death and imprison others, in cases they stated lacked justice standards and were based on confessions extracted under torture.
In a joint statement, the organizations confirmed that this case is not isolated but falls within a recurring pattern of sham trials used by the group as a tool to suppress opponents and punish civilians, in clear violation of the Yemeni Constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
They indicated that the defendants in the case were arbitrarily kidnapped in May 2020, detained in secret locations, and subjected to physical and psychological torture. Tragically, one of them, Sadiq Ahmed Yahya Al-Ghawiy, died under torture in June of the same year, and his body remains detained to this day.
The organizations held the Houthi group fully responsible for the crimes of kidnapping, torture, and extrajudicial killing. They called for:
- Abolishing the death sentences.
- Immediate release of all abductees.
- Compensation for the victims and their families.
They also demanded that the National Committee to Investigate Allegations of Human Rights Violations and relevant international bodies launch a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the case.
The organizations warned that international silence regarding these grave violations encourages impunity and undermines justice, stressing that the so-called judiciary under the Houthi group has turned into a political suppression tool used to liquidate opponents, amid the continuing wave of arrests and enforced disappearances against civilians in areas under the group’s control.
The organizations concluded their statement by affirming their commitment to documenting crimes and violations and continuing to use national and international legal mechanisms to ensure justice, accountability, and redress for victims and their families.
The signatory organizations include: Human Free, Witnesses for Human Rights, Rased Center for Rights and Development, Rased for Rights and Freedoms, National Body for Prisoners and Abductees, Association of Mothers of Abductees, National Organization for Defending Rights and Freedoms (HOOD – Seba Region Team), Shahed for Rights and Freedoms, Di Yement for Rights and Development, Musawat for Rights and Freedoms, Adala for Rights and Development, Al-Salam for Social Development and Human Rights, Yamanioon for Rights and Freedoms, Hurriati for Rights and Freedoms, and Taqassi for Development and Human Rights.
