A human rights center denounces the politicization of the judiciary in Aden and its use as a tool to prosecute journalists and activists

A human rights center condemned the politicization of the judiciary by the authorities in Aden, and its use as a tool to prosecute journalists and activists, expressing in this context its deep concern about the practices carried out by the court and the specialized criminal prosecution in Aden, which affected nine journalists, lawyers and activists after the decision to include them among the accused in the case of the killing of Brigadier General Adnan Al-Hammadi, commander of the 35th Brigade.

The American Center for Justice said in a statement that the Criminal Court in Aden issued a decision to publish the names of 9 activists, journalists and lawyers who are fugitives from justice, stressing that these decisions violate legal rules and the independence of the judiciary and reflect the state of deterioration that the judiciary has reached in the country.

He added, "The decision included: journalist Abdul Aziz Al-Majidi, journalist Iam Al-Sufi, lawyer Yasser Al-Maliki, Ahmed Al-Dhabhani, Walid Abdul Majeed, Musab Al-Qudsi, Mukhtar Al-Wajeeh, Amrous Al-Samadi, Haitham Al-Nimri, and Yassin Al-Ali."

ACJ pointed out that the prosecution and the court charged the activists with forming an armed gang and based their decision on articles and publications that had previously criticized Al-Hammadi, considering those publications to be incitement to kill him. However, what is proven in the case file and investigations is that the killing of the commander of the 35th Brigade, Brigadier General Adnan Al-Hammadi, is a purely criminal case and was carried out by his “brother” inside his home and in front of his personal guards, and that he is in their custody and is being tried.

The center stressed that using the judiciary in this manner represents a flagrant violation of freedoms and human rights, and is an indicator of the serious deterioration witnessed by freedom of opinion and expression in Yemen, especially in areas controlled by armed groups.

ACJ stressed) On his position rejecting these charges that violate what the Yemeni constitution and international law guarantee of freedom of opinion and expression, as Article (19) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulates that “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression,” and Article (6) of the Yemeni constitution stipulates the protection of human rights and respect for public freedoms.

The American Center for Justice called on the Yemeni government in general, and the judicial authorities in Aden in particular, to quickly drop these charges against the 9 activists, stop politicizing the judiciary and stop using it as a tool to persecute innocent people and activists, and the necessity of respecting human rights and allowing justice to take its course independently and impartially.

The Center called on the international community and human rights organizations to closely monitor the situation in Yemen and take the necessary steps to ensure the protection of the rights of journalists, lawyers and activists, and to ensure that such practices are not repeated.