The Massacre of Houthi Judicial Rulings: Sentencing 19 Abductees to Death and Undermining the De-escalation Process

The Yemeni Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violations and Torture (Will and Hope) follows with deep concern and shock the dangerous and inhumane escalation undertaken by the terrorist Houthi militia through the use of an incapacitated judiciary as a tool for physical eliminations and political revenge. At a time when the Yemeni street is awaiting the activation of understandings on the exchange of prisoners and abductees to end the suffering of thousands of families, Yemenis were surprised by the Houthi militia issuing mass, politicized death sentences against 19 citizens from the governorates of Al-Dhalea and Taiz.

The Yemeni Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violations and Torture condemns in the strongest terms and denounces the Houthi death sentences against the abductees. The Specialized Criminal Court belonging to the Houthi militia in the hijacked capital, Sana’a, issued yesterday, Monday, void sentences ordering the execution of 19 abductees (ranging from Hudud, Qisas, and Ta’zir) and the imprisonment of 3 others for periods ranging between two and 10 years, in a malicious case involving 23 defendants who were subjected to the most heinous types of psychological and physical torture to force them into confessing to fabricated charges.

What is worse is the court’s announcement of the dismissal of the case against 5 others due to “death,” which is a dangerous indicator confirming their liquidation after they died under the weight of systematic torture inside the dungeons of the Houthi militia.

The Yemeni Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violations and Torture affirms that these sham trials lack the minimum standards of justice and represent an extension of the policy of “judicial guillotines” pursued by the Houthi militia to terrorize society and keep the file of the abductees as a card for political and military blackmail. This occurs in parallel with the continuation of systematic campaigns of repression and arbitrary arrests against teachers and activists in Ibb Governorate, and the continuous persecution of more than 120 UN and international employees, some of whom face the risk of execution on alleged espionage charges.

Facing this dangerous turning point, the Yemeni Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violations and Torture expresses its absolute and complete condemnation of these void sentences issued by a court lacking competence and legal jurisdiction. We warn the Houthi militia against harming the lives of the 19 abductees or carrying out any of these unjust decisions.

The Yemeni Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violations and Torture calls on the United Nations, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to intervene immediately and exert serious pressure on the Houthi militia in Sana’a to stop these political executions and freeze the politicized judiciary.

The Yemeni Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violations and Torture calls on the legitimate Yemeni government and its negotiating team regarding the prisoners and abductees file to take a firm stance and suspend any peace negotiation tracks until genuine guarantees are put in place to protect abductees and activists from execution decisions. It also emphasizes the inclusion of all political detainees (including the heroes of the Hajour uprising, the abductees of Ibb Governorate, and humanitarian workers) without evasion or fragmentation.

The Yemeni Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violations and Torture also demands the opening of an independent and international investigation into the circumstances of the deaths of the five abductees who died inside Houthi detention centers before the verdict was issued, and the inclusion of the names of the judges and security officials involved in these trials and torture on international sanctions lists.

The international silence regarding the transformation of courtrooms in Sana’a into human slaughterhouses for opponents and civilians serves as a green light for the group to continue its crimes. Genuine peace in Yemen will not be achieved except by the immediate cessation of political trials and the unconditional release of all abductees and the forcibly disappeared.

Issued by the Yemeni Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violations and Torture (Will and Hope)

Wednesday, May 20, 2026