The internationally recognized government of Yemen has condemned Houthis for ordering the execution of 16 individuals in Saada Governorate. The Iran-backed group has also ordered maximum-security imprisonment for 13 others.
According to the government, Houthis are behaving the way Iran does when it comes to dealing with dissidents.
A Houthi-controlled court sentenced 16 Yemenis to death for collaborating with opponents like the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led Arab Coalition.
The group used similar charges to imprison another 13 residents in Saada.
Since launching its coup, Houthi militias in Yemen have issued death orders, confiscation of funds, and imprisonment of thousands of Yemenis. These orders included leaders in the legitimate government, lawmakers, and military commanders.
Muammar Al-Eryani, Yemen’s minister of information, has compared the Houthis’ repressive treatment of dissidents to that of the Iranian regime and has called the prosecution of the 16 people, all of whom hail from Saada, the Houthi movement’s heartland, “mass liquidations” of Yemenis who oppose the Houthis’ rule.
“These death judgments are a replication of the practices of the mullahs’ regime in Tehran, which continues its campaign of repression and abuse by issuing and executing death sentences against Iranian youngsters,” said the Yemeni minister.
The Yemeni minister urged the international community, the UN, and human rights organizations to “play their role in confronting the acts of killing and organized terrorism practiced by the Houthi militia against civilians.”
He also urged international efforts to prosecute and hold Houthis accountable.
While new Houthi execution orders were widely condemned by human rights organizations, the Specialized Criminal Court of First Instance in Sanaa, which is an illegal court, convicted 16 people from Saada governorate.
Those on death row will be shot down by a firing squad.
