Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The Military Court of Appeals in Marib (eastern Yemen) continued proceedings on Tuesday against convicts who had been sentenced to death by the Primary Military Court. The charges involve belonging to cells affiliated with the Houthis that targeted the Yemeni army and its leadership during the years 2020 and 2021.
The court is hearing two cases, known as the cases of Al-Samit and Mohsen Al-Rashidi, who are accused of managing cells affiliated with the Houthis. These are alongside two other similar cases in which the Primary Military Court had previously ruled to execute the convicts in all four cases, sentence other defendants to varying prison terms, confiscate seized items, and dismiss them from military service. This followed their conviction for espionage on behalf of the Houthi group during 2020 and 2021.
The specialized newspaper “Al-Qadhaiya” (The Judiciary) reported that the criminal division of the Military Court of Appeals in Marib has concluded hearings in the case of the cell led by the accused Mohsen Al-Rashidi and decided to close the pleadings phase and reserve the case for judgment. Meanwhile, the other cases were adjourned to complete the procedures of the public trial and to enable the defendants’ lawyers and the military prosecution to present their arguments and memoranda.
The defendants were convicted of crimes including espionage, disclosure of defense secrets, planting and detonating improvised explosive devices that targeted officers and members of the armed forces in Marib province, as well as sabotaging and damaging military vehicles, and providing coordinates of military sites and civilian entities that were subsequently targeted by ballistic missiles.
