The Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen kicked off the trial of four social media figures for allegedly criticizing the militias’ corrupt practices.
They appeared before a court tasked with tackling terrorism cases, sparking concerns that death sentences may be issued against them.
Ahmad Hajar, Mustafa al-Mumary, Hamoud al-Mesbahi and Ahmad al-Law were kidnapped by the Houthis some two weeks ago and made to appear before a Sanaa court.
Social media activists circulated photos of the detainees as they appeared in court where they were charged with inciting to create chaos and calling on the people to storm Houthi-held government buildings.
The charges said the detainees set up YouTube channels that they ran from Sanaa and where they posted false news, statements and rumors with the aim of influencing the public and harming public interests.
They have denied the charges against them.
The arrest sparked popular outcry in Yemen even in regions that are held by the militias and among their loyalists.
Tensions are already high in Houthi-controlled regions because of the militias’ increased corrupt practices while the people’s suffering grows, from lack of food, the withholding of their salaries and other hardships.
Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani slammed the arrest, comparing the Houthi practices to the Iranian regime’s crackdown on dissidents.
He said the detainees were arrested for criticizing the corruption of the Houthis and the dire state of affairs in regions under their control.
He dismissed their trial as a sham, saying it was an extension of the Houthi oppression against the media and journalist since they launched their coup against the legitimate authorities.
He added that death sentences that have been laid down against journalists are aimed at intimidating them, muzzling the press and barring them from reporting the facts and Houthi crimes against the people.
Moreover, the minister questioned the ongoing international silence over the Houthis’ kidnapping of people, their sham trials and baseless death sentences against politicians, journalists and activists in areas under their control all for “demanding freedom and a dignified life.”
Eryani called on the international community, United Nations and United States’ envoys and rights organizations to speak out against the Houthi oppression and to pressure the militias to immediately release all journalists.
