Houthis sentence 9 men to death on dubious 'sodomy' charges in Yemen

A Houthi court sentenced nine men to death on charges of “sodomy,” Human Rights Watch has found, while sentencing an additional 23 men to prison.

An investigation by the organization revealed that the 32 men were sentenced earlier this year on January 23. The nine death sentences included crucifixion and stoning, and an additional three were sentenced to public flogging, marking one of the most harrowing cases of civilians being sentenced for “immoral acts" under the conservative Islamist regime.

“In an abhorrent disregard for the rule of law, the Houthis are handing down death sentences and subjecting men to public mistreatment without a semblance of due process,” Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. “The Houthis are using these cruel measures to distract from their failure to govern and provide people in their territories with basic needs.”

The sentences were handed down after "egregious violations of Yemen’s own criminal procedural code," according to the organization. This included "blatant due process violations" such as law enforcement failing to provide arrest warrants and unlawfully confiscating the men’s phones.

The men are also believed to have been denied adequate access to legal council, in violation of the country's laws. Yemen's Criminal Procedures law, under articles 132 and 172, prohibits law enforcement from making arrests or seizing people’s belongings without a warrant. Article 181 also prohibits police from interrogating suspects without the presence of a lawyer.

The Houthis, who control expansive territory in Yemen, are still obligated under international law to "respect and protect the human rights of individuals and groups” even as a non-state actor, the organization noted. It called on the militant group to "end their use of the death penalty and other forms of cruel and degrading punishment and provide fair trials for those charged."

“To cover up their brutality, Houthis are charging people with immoral acts, especially for those who oppose them,” Jafarnia continued. “The Houthis should immediately end the use of the death penalty and other forms of cruel and degrading punishments and provide due process for those charged.”