AL-MUKALLA: A Houthi-run military court in Yemen’s capital Sanaa has sentenced in absentia Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Mohsen Al-Daeri and 29 military officers to death on charges of cooperating with the militia’s opponents, including the coalition to establish legitimacy in Yemen.
The Central Military Court in Sanaa ordered the execution of 30 military officers, their expulsion from the army, and the confiscation of their property inside and outside the country.
It is the latest addition to the long list of death sentences handed out to hundreds of lawmakers, military and security officials, activists and journalists who have defied Houthi authority in joining Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
Yemeni observers warn that the Houthis are using the legal system in Sanaa and other regions under their control to legitimize the stealing of opponents’ property.
Dozens of seized homes, villas and apartments belonging to Yemeni government officials and activists have been converted into covert incarceration facilities or sold by the Houthis.
In the central province of Marib, the militia reportedly blew up six homes belonging to tribal leaders and other government supporters over the weekend.
The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms said that the Houthis demolished four homes owned by a local tribesman, Ahmed Naser Al-Jahami, in Marib’s Al-Zoor, as well as two additional buildings owned by other people in Serwah.
The rights group sharply criticized the Houthi demolitions and urged international human rights organizations and UN bodies to “name and shame” as well as prosecute militia officials for targeting opponents’ homes.
“This is not the first crime perpetrated by the Houthi militia against Yemenis who defy their racial and sectarian vision, nor will it be the last. Rather, it is part of a series of deliberate and coordinated terrorist acts committed practically every day by the Houthi militia,” the organization said.
It added that the Houthis have blown up 816 Yemeni homes in numerous Yemeni districts since their armed seizure of power in Yemen in late 2014.
“The looting and bombardment of civilian residences by the Houthi militia constitutes war crimes under international agreements and treaties,” the organization added.
Muammar Al-Eryani, Yemen’s information minister, said that the bombing of Yemeni homes, mostly those owned by pro-government figures, shows that the Houthis are “not serious” about achieving peace in Yemen.
“The Houthi militia blowing up homes of its opponents, in Marib and other areas, reflects its position on calls for deescalation and a truce,” the minister tweeted, adding that the demolitions shows that the militia are a “tool for killing and destruction and cannot be a real partner in building peace.”
He added: “It reveals its real face as a terrorist organization.”
Other Yemenis also condemned the Houthi demolitions. “Nothing, not even military necessity, could justify blowing up six homes in Serwah. This demonstrates the Houthi hate, hostility and extremism against people,” Adnan Al-Jabrny, a Marib-based journalist, tweeted.
International mediators, including UN Yemen envoy Hans Grundberg, have stepped up diplomatic efforts and tours in Yemeni and regional cities in order to persuade warring factions to renew the UN-brokered truce and work toward a durable peace agreement to end the war.
Yahiya Abu Hatem, a military analyst, told Arab News that the Houthi’s persecution, kidnapping and theft of opponents’ property showed the militia’s disregard for international attempts to end the conflict.
“This reaffirms what we have said a thousand times: That the Houthi group continues its war against the Yemenis and pays no heed to the UN, its initiatives, or concessions by the coalition or the legitimate government,” he added.
