SANA’A, April 15 (NNN-SABA) – A court run by Yemen’s Houthi rebels sentenced four journalists to death, after their conviction on spying charges, their lawyer said.
The four were among a group of 10 journalists detained by the Iran-backed rebels and accused of “collaborating with the enemy,” in reference to the Saudi-led coalition, that has been at war with the Houthis since 2015, Abdel-Majeed Sabra, said.
Amnesty International, last year, condemned the charges as “trumped-up”. The rights group said, the detained reporters were beaten, deprived of water and forced to hold cinder blocks for several hours.
The lawyer said, the Houthis did not allow defence lawyers to attend the trial. The journalists will be allowed to appeal against the verdict.
He identified the four sentenced to death as Abdel-Khaleq Amran, Akram al-Walidi, Hareth Hamid and Tawfiq al-Mansouri.
The court in the rebel-held capital, Sana’a, convicted the other six journalists on similar charges, including “spreading false news and rumours” to aid the coalition, but ordered their release after time served.
Earlier this week, the coalition announced a temporary ceasefire, amid concern over the virus pandemic. Yemen this week reported its first case of COVID-19, sparking fears of a deadly epidemic in a country where the war has already almost destroyed the health system.
