A Houthi-controlled court in Yemen’s capital has sentenced 17 people to death, convicted of working as part of the ’espionage cells’ linked to US, Israeli and Saudi intelligence services.
A Houthi-controlled court in Yemen’s capital sentenced 17 people to death on the charges of spying for foreign governments, which remained one of the largest verdicts since the group tightened its grip on the country’s north.
This marks the latest development in which rulings were headed down by the Specialized Criminal Court in the capital Sanaa on Saturday, according to the Houthi-run SABA news agency.
This has drawn criticism from rights advocates and Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
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Detail of convicts
The defendants were convicted of working as part of the “espionage cells” linked to US, Israeli and Saudi intelligence services.
The court handed down a death sentence to the firing squad, with the sentences to be carried out in public, which is seen as a warning to others accused of collaborating with foreign states.
The court also sentenced a man and a woman to 10 years in prison, while another defendant was acquitted.
Allegations and charges
Prosecutors charged the convicts with gathering and passing sensitive information to foreign intelli