- The Specialized Criminal Primary Court in Aden, the temporary capital of Yemen, on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, sentenced seven individuals to death for their involvement in a string of assassinations and gang-related activities.

The court, presided over by Judge Yahya Mohammed Al-Saeedi, found the defendants guilty in case number 54 of 2021, according to the official Yemeni news agency Saba.

The charges, as stated by Saba, involved "forming an armed gang and involvement in the assassination of mosque imams, security personnel, and army officers between 2015 and 2020 in Aden and Lahj governorates."

The verdict was read aloud during a public session attended by Faisal Abdulhafiz, a member of the prosecution, and Afaf Ali Mohsen, the court secretary.

According to Saba, the court sentenced the following individuals to death:

• Al-Jashmi Ahmed Hussein Al-Jashmi
• Emad Saleh Ali Ahmed Al-Khadher
• Hossam Najib Ahmed Yousef
• Wael Mohammed Hussein Saleh Al-Jazzar
• Ammar Sho'ai Hassan Al-Howsali
• Ahmed Ibrahim Ahmed Yousef Qadi
• Ali Mohammed Ali Al-Khadheri

The court also sentenced the following individuals to prison terms:

• Mohammed Kamal Ahmed Sagheer (10 years)
• Mohammed Ghalib Ayash Abdullah (10 years)
• Najib Mohammed Yousef Qadi (10 years)
• Ali Ahmed Yousef (5 years)
• Fahmi Mohammed Yousef Qadi (5 years)
• Mohammed Hussein Ayash (5 years)

The court acquitted the following individuals, considering their time served in prison sufficient:

• Ahmed Ali Ahmed Al-Khadheri
• Jabr Ali Ali Al-Haimi
• Jabr Nasser Ahmed Sareeb
• Sinan Ali Ali Al-Haimi
• Ali Abdulmalik Mohammed Al-Haimi
• Ghalib Ali Ali Al-Haimi
• Ali Abdulkarim Mohammed Al-Haimi

The court also ordered the prosecution to confiscate and secure all evidence seized in the case.

This verdict marks the first judicial ruling addressing the series of assassinations that plagued Aden over the past nine years.

According to press reports, Aden witnessed the assassination of over 400 Yemeni citizens, primarily political, social, and religious figures, between late 2014 and 2021. These crimes remain unsolved.