New Death Sentences Issued by the Houthis Against 8 Defendants on “Espionage” Charges

Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:

The Specialized Criminal Appeals Division under Houthi control in Sana’a upheld, on Monday, the initial verdicts convicting 13 individuals on charges related to “collaboration/espionage” with foreign countries.

According to the website of the Houthi-run Ministry of Justice, the court approved the death penalty for eight defendants:
(Bashir Ali Mahdi, Khaled Qassem Abdullah, Farouk Ali Rajeh Hizam, Daifallah Saleh Zoqam, Anas Ahmed Salman, Sinan Abdulaziz Ali Saleh, Mujahid Mohammed Ali Rajeh, and Majdi Mohammed Hussein).

The ruling also included commuting the death sentence of the defendant Ali Ali Ahmed Hamoud to ten years’ imprisonment, and deeming the prison terms already served by Huda Ali Saleh and Bakil Abdullah Mohammed as sufficient.
The court also issued acquittals in some cases.

In November, the Houthi-run primary court had issued verdicts convicting 19 individuals, sentencing most of them to death, in cases the group claims are related to monitoring military sites and strategic facilities for foreign entities during 2024 and 2025.

The trials conducted by the Houthi authorities in Sana’a have faced widespread criticism from international and local human rights organizations, which describe them as “political” and lacking fair trial standards. These organizations warn against the use of the judiciary as a tool to settle scores and intimidate opponents.

The initial ruling had sentenced 17 out of the 19 convicted defendants to death.

Charges:
According to the indictment, the charges of espionage included providing foreign entities with sensitive political, military, and security information, identifying strategic locations and facilities, and planting surveillance devices in exchange for financial payments.