Sunday, April 12, 2020
The Forum for Development and Human Rights Dialogue on Sunday condemned the execution of four journalists kidnapped by Houthi militias five years ago in flagrant violation of press freedom and fair trial procedures, considering the execution of the sentence a complication of the situation after the ceasefire came into force on humanitarian grounds by coalition forces, and a war crime by Houthi militias punishable by crimes prosecuted by the International Criminal Court.
The criminal court of the Houthi group Ansar Allah in Sana’a sentenced four kidnapped journalists to death five years ago: Abdul Khaleq Omran, Akram al-Walidi, Harth Hamid and Tawfiq al-Mansouri, which were rejected by the Yemeni government and stressed that the trial was “a formality that did not meet the requirements of justice and integrity”, considering it an illegal verdict, as it was issued by a court that lost its judicial status by a decision of the Supreme Judicial Council, which is part of the internationally recognized legitimate government, as well as breaching the principles of fair trial.”
The Forum said that this crime adds to a long record of crimes against humanity committed by Houthi militias, and constitutes a very serious development against the press and journalists in Yemen, as it is the first in Yemen’s political and modern history, where it is an update of the policy of militias to silence all opponents, and the policy of silencing the press and punishing anyone who disagrees with its authority, which is a direct violation of public rights and freedoms in Yemen.
