Yemen: Executions and Espionage Campaign in Sanaa... Houthis Prepare After Mysterious Strikes

Arab Sea Newspaper - Follow-ups:

The Yemeni capital, Sana'a, which is under the control of the Houthi group, is witnessing an unprecedented escalation in what has become known as "judicial security activity," as part of what appears to be an internal reaction to the recent Israeli airstrikes that targeted senior leaders in the group. In a remarkable development, the Houthi-affiliated Specialized Criminal Prosecution referred nine new defendants to court yesterday on charges of espionage with Britain. This comes just days after the issuance of death sentences against 17 people in the case described by the group as the "joint operations room" with Saudi Arabia, America, and Israel. Observers believe that this escalation in "espionage" cases comes as an attempt by the Houthis to show their security cohesion to their public, especially after the announcement of the death of the head of the group's government, Abdulaziz bin Habtoor (Al-Rahwi), and the Chief of Staff, Muhammad al-Ghumari, amid ambiguity surrounding the fate of other leaders following the precise Israeli strikes. The speed of the trials, which in some cases took only a month from referral to execution, raises a wave of criticism and human rights concerns, in the absence of legal standards and judicial guarantees, amid accusations of using the judiciary as a tool to settle internal scores and intimidate the supporting environment.