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Houthis Prepare for New Mass Executions in Sanaa

Defendants are lined up before their execution by a Houthi firing squad in a public square in Sanaa on September 18 (Reuters)
Defendants are lined up before their execution by a Houthi firing squad in a public square in Sanaa on September 18 (Reuters)
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Houthis Prepare for New Mass Executions in Sanaa

Defendants are lined up before their execution by a Houthi firing squad in a public square in Sanaa on September 18 (Reuters)
Defendants are lined up before their execution by a Houthi firing squad in a public square in Sanaa on September 18 (Reuters)

Parallel to a military escalation that Houthi militias are staging in Yemen's Shabwah governorate, human rights sources warn that the Iran-backed guerrillas are planning to stage mass executions in the capital, Sanaa.

According to human rights groups, Houthis will execute 11 civilians, including two women, whom they are accusing of espionage.

A few days ago, Houthis were internationally condemned for putting to death nine civilians, including a minor, in central Sanaa's Tahrir square.

The internationally recognized government also condemned the brutal killings and said they amounted to a war crime.

Yemeni human rights sources stated that the militias, through a court under their control, issued an order to execute 11 people on charges of espionage, and to confiscate their money to its treasury.

According to the sources, those threatened with execution are: Muhammad al-Maliki, Ali Muhammad al-Shahdhi, Hanan Mutahar Ahmad al-Shahdi, Altaf Yahya al-Matari, Najib Ali al-Baadani, Samir Mosad al-Ammari, Issam Muhammad al-Faqih, Abdullah Abdullah Muqraish, Nabil Hadi al-Ansi, Abdullah Ali al-Khayyat and Abdullah Muhammad Sawar.

Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Muammar al-Eryani revealed that Houthis had asked the families of the nine civilians executed on September 18 to leave their homes and assets and to pay.

More so, Houthis are demanding each family pay a court fee of 3 million Yemeni rials for the unfair trials it held for their now-deceased relatives.

In a post on Twitter, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Muammar al-Eryani said the executions had been carried out in "cold blood".

The Houthis handed over the bodies to the victims' families "with the stipulation that they be buried silently and not [prayed for] in mosques," nor could the families attend their funerals or receive condolences for them, he said.

Eryani considered "the punitive practices pursued by the terrorist Houthi militia against the families of the victims a blatant challenge to the international community, which has condemned and continues to condemn this heinous crime, and a flagrant violation of international laws and covenants, foremost of which is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights."

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After US Exemption, UN Says More Significant Syria Sanctions Work Needed

A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
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After US Exemption, UN Says More Significant Syria Sanctions Work Needed

A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
A general view shows Damascus from Mount Qasioun, after one month since the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)

A US sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria is welcome, but "much more significant work ... will inevitably be necessary," the UN special envoy on Syria, Geir Pedersen, told the Security Council on Wednesday.

After 13 years of civil war, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in a lightening offensive by opposition forces led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group a month ago.

The US, Britain, the European Union and others imposed tough sanctions on Syria after a crackdown by Assad on pro-democracy protests in 2011 that spiraled into war. But the new reality in Syria has been further complicated by sanctions on HTS - and some leaders - for its days as an al-Qaeda affiliate.

"I welcome the recent issuance of a new temporary General License by the United States government. But much more significant work in fully addressing sanctions and designations will inevitably be necessary," Pedersen told the council.

The US on Monday issued a sanctions exemption, known as a general license, for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance and allow some energy transactions.

"The United States welcomes positive messages from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, but will ultimately look for progress in actions, not words," deputy US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Camille Shea told the Security Council.

The foreign ministry in Damascus on Wednesday welcomed the US move and called for a full lifting of restrictions to support Syria's recovery.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said earlier on Wednesday that European Union sanctions on Syria that obstruct the delivery of humanitarian aid and hinder the country's recovery could be lifted swiftly.

Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia criticized the sanctions imposed on Syria by Washington and others, adding: "As a result, the Syrian economy is under extreme pressure and is not able to cope with the challenges facing the country." Russia was an Assad ally throughout the war.

'END THE SUFFERING'

Formerly known as Nusra Front, HTS was al-Qaeda's official wing in Syria until breaking ties in 2016. Along with unilateral measures, the group has also been on the UN Security Council al-Qaeda and ISIS sanctions list for more than a decade, subjected to a global assets freeze and arms embargo.

There are no UN sanctions on Syria over the civil war.

Syria's UN Ambassador Koussay Aldahhak was appointed a year ago by Assad's government but told the council on Wednesday that he was speaking for the caretaker authorities.

"It is high time to end the suffering, to enable Syrians to live in security and prosperity, to live a dignified life in their country, to build a better future for their country," Aldahhak said.

"For this reason, we call upon the United Nations and its member states to immediately and fully lift the unilateral coercive measures to provide the necessary financing to meet humanitarian needs and recover basic services," he said.

Pedersen said he is seeking to work with the caretaker authorities in Syria "on how the nascent and important ideas and steps so far articulated and initiated could be developed towards a credible and inclusive political transition."

Pedersen said attacks on Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity must stop, specifically calling out Israel.

As Assad's government crumbled towards the end of last year, Israel launched a series of strikes against Syrian military infrastructure and weapons manufacturing sites to prevent them falling into the hands of enemies.

"Reports of the IDF using live ammunition against civilians, displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure are also very worrying," Pedersen said. "Such violations, along with Israeli airstrikes in other parts of Syria – reported even last week in Aleppo – could further jeopardize the prospects for an orderly political transition."