Yemeni judges and employees in the West Ibb Court of First Instance continue their partial strike, which began on Saturday, by putting the green badges, a sign of condemnation of the Houthis’ obstruction to the implementation of judicial rulings.
In a statement, the judges and employees of the court had announced the start of a partial strike to exert pressure on the militias and demand an investigation into those obstructing the judicial procedures. They also vowed to escalate their protests against the group and raise their red badges if their demands were not met.
The strike comes following reports of Houthi leaders in Ibb continuing to obstruct dozens of first instance rulings issued by the West Ibb Court and other courts, most of which against Houthi members and leaders convicted of crimes against citizens.
Judicial staff in Ibb, which is located 170 kilometers south of Sanaa, have previously carried out demonstrations, vigils and strikes to denounce and reject the Houthi attacks and the militias’ interference in the judiciary.
Dozens of Houthi gunmen on board seven vehicles had earlier attacked the Criminal Court located in Al-Dawaa Street in Ibb city and liberated accused prisoners, including the leader Abdel Wahab al-Washli, who was accused of killing a citizen at a checkpoint in the same governorate.
Local reports revealed that within the past few months, the militias have pushed hundreds of their members to study at the Higher Judicial Institute in Sanaa, after dismissing a great number of officers in the interior and intelligence sectors.
Reports stated that dozens of the new members of the Judicial Institute, which is not recognized by the legitimate government, had failed the entrance exams, while several accusations were leveled at the group of deliberately enrolling students without university qualifications.