Barran Press
On December 10, 2024, judicial sources reported that the Specialized Criminal Court in Aden issued a ruling sentencing three individuals to death and 13 others to varying prison terms for their involvement in a Houthi cell in the al-Turbah district of Lahij Governorate, southern Yemen.
According to a statement from the judicial media, the court presided over by Judge Yahya Al-Saeedi, announced a series of verdicts in case number 1 of 2023 against the defendants accused of participating in Houthi activities.
The court found all 16 defendants guilty as charged. The three sentenced to death were identified as Talib Abdullah Saeed Al-Shar'i, Sultan Ahmed Saleh Al-Hamidi, and Issam Ahmed Naaman Saad.
Additionally, several individuals received prison terms of seven years each, including Sabri Abdul Wahid Ali Fadl, Amir Naseeb Abdul Qadir Othman, and Fouad Issam Ahmed Naaman.
The court imposed four-year sentences on Samer Samir Mohammed Abdullah, Ahmed Sultan Ahmed Saleh, and Mohammed Naaman Salem Ahmed, while others received three-year sentences, including Ahmed Mohammed Said, Ammar Yasser Ahmed Abdulhadi, Mazen Abdul Ghani Mohammed Said, and Asil Abdul Baqi Naaman Al-Muqalib.
The court also sentenced Ahmed Mahmoud Jareeb Al-Subaihi and Qasim Mohammed Ghalib Labouza to ten years each, while one defendant was granted leniency due to age and health issues.
As part of the ruling, the convicted individuals were ordered to pay court costs, and the public prosecution was mandated to confiscate all seized items.
The cell, which comprised 14 accused individuals, was apprehended last year for orchestrating bombings in the al-Turbah and Al-Maqatra districts of Lahij and the Mafalis area in the Hifan district of Taiz.
During the proceedings, the court considered charges against Qasim Mohammed Ghalib Labouza, a military leader associated with the Houthis, and Ahmed Mohammed Jareeb, the Houthi-appointed governor of Lahij, for their proven involvement in supporting the cell.
The charges against the defendants included detonating an explosive device targeting a military vehicle belonging to the commander of the 8th Reserve Brigade, Brigadier General Yaser Al-Dumaily, resulting in the deaths of five soldiers, including the commander’s son. Other charges included bombing military police vehicles and attacking civilian cars in the Mafalis area, injuring a civilian.