Sanaa (South24) 

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In a display of ruthlessness against perceived “enemies”, the Houthi-controlled Criminal Court in Sanaa on Saturday issued death sentences against 45 people on charges of spying and participating in armed cells.

Among those sentenced to death is Adnan Al-Harazi, owner and director of Prodigy Systems company, which specializes in the field of technical monitoring and evaluation. The sentencing comes nearly a year and a half after his kidnapping in Sanaa on January 11, 2023.

Back then, a Houthi-affiliated armed wing stormed the company's headquarters, kidnapped Al-Harazi and imprisoned him, which led to the company's closure.

The issue of Al-Harazi's kidnapping had ignited public opinion in Houthi-controlled areas following several protests by the company's employees who lost their jobs and their source of income as a result of the company's closure.

The indictment against Al-Harazi included "communicating with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as collecting information and statistics for the benefit of the United States and United Kingdom with the intention of harming the Republic of Yemen".

In a separate decision, the Sanaa-based Criminal Court sentenced to death 44 people from different governorates in North Yemen on charges of belonging to cells that carried out assassinations and bombings with foreign funding.

The indictment included sharing intelligence with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the United States, and cooperation with the Yemeni Islah Party.

Of those sentenced to death, 28 are detained in Houthi prisons, while 16 others are designated as fugitives from justice.

Since taking control of Sanaa in 2014, the Houthis have used the judiciary to issue death sentences against their political opponents and critics. Dozens of these sentences have already been executed.

Most often, charges related to treason and espionage are what the Houthis prefer to label on those sentenced to death.

On September 18, 2021, the Houthis executed nine people by shooting in a public square in Sanaa on charges of involvement in the killing of Houthi leader Saleh Al-Samad in a Saudi-led Coalition raid in April 2018 in Hodeidah.