Houthi execution cleaver

In the context of its continuing violations and systematic crimes against the abductees in its prisons, the Houthi militia tends to conduct false trials that are not based on any legal or constitutional justification, but rather in order to employ them for purely political purposes.

The Houthi group conducts its illegal trials against the abductees after committing complex crimes against them, starting with kidnapping and then forced disappearance, through physical and psychological torture, in addition to depriving them of the most basic rights such as medicine, food, and exposure to sunlight. After these criminal practices, it conducts political trials based on ready-made and detailed charges that end. Some of them issue death sentences.

Human rights reports stated that the Houthi group issued a decision to execute 145 kidnappers in its prisons, and executed nine of them in September 2021, most of whom were from Hodeidah Governorate, while it exploited and exploited the case of 26 kidnappers sentenced to death in its prisons and released them in exchange deals, including 17 kidnappers who were released in two deals. An exchange sponsored by the United Nations, including four journalists, while the rest went out in local exchange deals, all in exchange for members of the Houthi militia who were in the prisons of the legitimate government and were captured on the fighting fronts.

The Houthis are pressing in the negotiation rounds to release the kidnapped persons sentenced to death from their prisons in exchange for large numbers of prisoners of their militia in the prisons of the legitimate government. This is confirmed by the team of the government delegation negotiating the file of the kidnapped and the prisoners. Unfortunately, this is happening under international supervision and auspices.

70 abductees are still in Houthi prisons facing death sentences issued by the Houthi militia, including activist Fatima Al-Arouli, in addition to academics, university professors, students, and educators who were kidnapped from their homes, workplaces, and the roads.

A few days ago, the families of these abductees launched appeals to intervene to save the lives of their children and confirmed that they had received news that the Houthi militia was completing the trial procedures against their children with the aim of implementing its prior intention to execute them. This is an extremely dangerous matter and doubles the fears and anxiety of the families and their fear of repeating the crime of killing the people of Tihama.

Among those sentenced to death were kidnapped educators from Al-Mahwit and Saada governorates who were kidnapped by the Houthi militia in the year 2015. At the end of 2022, it issued death sentences for them. At the time, the head of the Prisoners and Detainees Foundation, Hadi Haig, considered these rulings as Houthi steps aimed at complicating the negotiation file, thwarting it, and hindering any progress in it, confirmed through a publication. He said on his account on the

The conclusion is that these rulings issued by the Houthi group against kidnapped civilians are not legal and are nothing but a tool of oppression, terrorism and political blackmail for reasons including, firstly, that the Houthi group is a coup group and is not recognized.

Secondly, these rulings are aimed at political pressure and blackmail by including the names of those sentenced to death in exchange bargains. In addition, they use such rulings as a means of terrorizing society, and this is what they wanted to send to society by carrying out the crime of executing Tihama News in order to prevent any opinion that contradicts them.

In light of the crimes committed by the Houthis against the abductees, especially the death decisions, the matter requires urgent and serious intervention from the Presidential Command Council, which puts the issue of the abductees in Houthi prisons at its first concern and priority, responds to the appeals of the families, and moves towards pressure by all means to stop the crimes against the abductees and save them.

He must use all means and all tools to achieve this, especially as we hear about international and regional efforts and arrangements for the so-called road map between the legitimate government and the Houthis. The Council must consider the issue of the kidnapped people as a national and humanitarian responsibility and not let them and their relatives down.