Yemeni Woman Human Rights Defender Sentence To Death By Houthi Court
Fatma al-Arwali, a 34-year-old human rights defender in Yemen, finds herself in a dire situation. In August 2022, she was arrested and on December 5, 2023, a Houthi-controlled court in Sana’a sentenced her to death, accusing her of aiding an enemy country. Her trial raised serious fairness concerns.
Fatma is not alone, as over 60 individuals have faced unfair proceedings at the Sana’a Specialized Criminal Court since 2015, often on dubious spying charges. These include journalists and political opponents.
Since her arrest, Fatma endured severe human rights violations. For around eight months, her family was denied information about her whereabouts after she was disappeared and held incommunicado. They later discovered she was detained in Chamlan, Sana’a, constituting an illegal enforced disappearance under international law.
Fatma was charged with collaborating with Gulf countries by providing locations of Houthi forces and using fake ID, which carry the death penalty. During her trial, her right to a fair legal process was blatantly ignored — her lawyer could not record proceedings and Fatma was told she didn’t need counsel. She described cruel detention conditions and requested to see her children.
Despite Yemeni law allowing sentence/conviction review by an independent high court, its impartiality is dubious. There is an urgent call to overturn Fatma’s conviction and death sentence, ensuring a fair retrial or immediate release. Access to family and lawyer is also vital, as is humane treatment. rights defenders oppose the death penalty due to its irreversible nature and necessity for fair capital case standards. They urge abolishing it as a violation of the right to life and as cruel punishment. Concerned individuals are encouraged to appeal by March 28, 2024 in Arabic, English or their own language on this critical issue.
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