Yemen's Minister of Legal Affairs, Judge Ishraq Al-Maqtari, said that any future political settlement will not grant immunity to perpetrators of grave crimes, stressing that legal responsibility will not be limited to those who directly carried out the crimes, but will extend to the leaders who planned, issued orders, financed, and facilitated their execution.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Maqtari said that the relevant national authorities are working to document violations committed by the Iran-backed Houthi group and gather evidence related to its crimes against cities, ports, economic facilities, and infrastructure across the country.
She explained that Yemen needs a comprehensive legislative review to address the effects of war, the coup, and division, and to keep pace with economic, technological, and social changes. She said the legislative reform roadmap rests on three tracks: updating sovereign and institutional legislation, developing the economic and investment environment, and keeping pace with digital transformation and protecting rights.
Distortions Caused by the Coup
Al-Maqtari said the coup by the Houthi terrorist militias and their war against the state had caused deep distortions in the constitutional and institutional structure. These included the disruption of state institutions, undermining judicial independence, imposing parallel bodies, plundering public resources, issuing decisions outside the framework of the constitution and law, and the proliferation of weapons outside state institutions.
She added that restoring the rule of law begins with ending the coup, restoring state institutions, placing weapons exclusively in the state's hands, unifying the judiciary and law enforcement agencies, and enabling the legitimate government to exercise its powers throughout the national territory.
She continued: "A state governed by the rule of law cannot be established in the presence of armed sectarian militias that impose their will by force and treat state institutions and resources as tools to serve their project."
Responsibility Extends to Leaders
The minister described Houthi militia attacks on cities, ports, economic facilities, and infrastructure as crimes punishable under Yemeni law and grave violations of international humanitarian law, particularly when they target civilians and civilian objects or are carried out indiscriminately or inappropriately.
She stressed that responsibility "is not limited to those who directly carried out the crimes, but extends to the leaders who planned, issued orders, financed, and facilitated their execution."
She affirmed that any future political settlement will not grant immunity to perpetrators of grave crimes, nor erase victims' rights or prevent those responsible from being pursued and held accountable.
Documenting Houthi Crimes
Regarding the documentation of violations, Al-Maqtari said the relevant national authorities are gathering evidence related to crimes committed by the Houthi militias. She explained that the National Commission to Investigate Alleged Violations of Human Rights, as an independent and specialized national body accredited by the Human Rights Council, plays a central role in investigating and documenting violations in accordance with international legal standards.
She added that the Ministry of Legal Affairs, within the limits of its jurisdiction and in coordination with the relevant authorities, is working to strengthen the legal basis for these efforts, preserving the right of the state and victims to accountability and allowing the documented files to be used in the future before national courts and relevant international bodies and mechanisms.
Legislation in Need of Comprehensive Review
According to the minister, Yemen needs a comprehensive legislative review to address the effects of war, the coup, and division, and to keep pace with economic, technological, and social changes that some existing laws are no longer capable of addressing.
She explained that the Ministry of Legal Affairs has already begun exercising its powers in this area by reviewing laws that require updating or amendment and preparing a list of priority legislation.
She said technical legislative committees at the ministry are currently working on these laws in accordance with national priorities and the needs of state institutions and society.
Three Tracks for Reform
Regarding the legislative reform roadmap, Al-Maqtari said it rests on three tracks: updating sovereign and institutional legislation, developing the economic and investment environment, and keeping pace with digital transformation and protecting rights.
She explained that priorities include regulating the protection of personal data and information, combating cybercrime, drafting legislation governing the oil sector, human organ transplantation, the Cancer Patients Support Fund, and public-private partnerships, as well as reviewing press, media, and investment laws.
"We base this on identifying the actual legislative need, the extent to which the law can protect the public interest, and its ability to keep pace with the needs of the state, economy, and society," she said.
Protecting Public Funds
The minister described the law as the foundation that gives economic reforms their legitimacy and sustainability, stressing that public funds cannot be protected and corruption cannot be fought without effective oversight and genuine accountability.
She noted that the state has important legal frameworks governing oversight, tenders, and accounting, but said the main problem lies in weak implementation, overlapping jurisdictions, and slow accountability procedures.
She said that, as part of the government's approach under Prime Minister Dr. Shaya Al-Zindani, the Ministry of Legal Affairs is currently carrying out its core duties of legally reviewing new contracts that state institutions intend to conclude, in order to verify their validity, protect the rights of the state and public funds, and prevent unclear or unlawful financial or legal obligations from being created.
Justice Does Not Mean Impunity
Al-Maqtari stressed that Yemen urgently needs a comprehensive national transitional justice project that places victims and their rights at the heart of any political process and includes truth-seeking, accountability, reparations, restoration of rights, institutional reform, and guarantees against the recurrence of violations.
She affirmed that reconciliation does not mean erasing crimes or equating the state with coup militias that took up arms against it. Nor should a political settlement become a cover for granting immunity to perpetrators of grave crimes, she said.
"Lasting peace is not built on forgetting or escaping accountability, but on fairness, safeguarding victims' rights, and building a state that protects its citizens through the law," she said.
Postwar Files
The minister expected the most difficult issues to include addressing the effects of decisions issued by the Houthi militias in areas under their control, disarming and placing weapons exclusively under state institutions, recovering public funds and assets, resolving the status of employees and military personnel, and addressing issues involving property, confiscations, displaced people, missing persons, and detainees.
She concluded by stressing that transitional justice would be among the foremost of these challenges, because the success of any settlement will be measured by its ability to restore the state and its institutions, protect rights, and prevent impunity, rather than merely bringing military operations to an end.
