Barran Press
The Specialized Penal Court in Sana’a announced on Saturday its ruling in the case against Ahmad Hassan Najad, who was convicted of raping 9-year-old Jannat Taher Abdul-Wahid Al-Sayyaghi.
Presided over by Judge Yahya Al-Mansour, the court sentenced Najad to 15 years in prison and ordered him to pay a monetary compensation of 6 million Yemeni riyals to Jannat’s family, following his kidnapping and sexual assault of the child.
The ruling sparked widespread outrage among the public, particularly from Jannat’s father, Taher Abdul-Wahid Al-Sayyaghi, who urged Yemenis to stand in solidarity with him. Following the announcement of the verdict, he, along with a large crowd of citizens outside the court, called for the death penalty to be imposed on Najad.
In a widely circulated video on social media, Taher Al-Sayyaghi, flanked by dozens of supporters, demanded the execution of Najad, claiming that the court's decision contradicted both Yemeni law and Islamic sharia. He accused the judiciary of corruption and asserted that Judge Yahya Al-Mansour had colluded in the case, issuing an unjust and illegitimate ruling.
Jannat’s lawyer, Tawfiq Al-Asadi, described the sentence as unjust and unacceptable, stating that it does not align with any divine law or earthly statute. He emphasized that Najad's actions warranted the death penalty as a form of retribution.
In mid-June, Ahmad Hassan Najad kidnapped Jannat in the Artil area of Sanhan District, Sana’a, where he subsequently raped her.