Yemen: Houthis sentence 5 to death for ‘spying for UK’

Cairo: A Yemeni court, controlled by Al Houthi rebels in the capital Sana’a, had sentenced five citizens to death on charges of spying for Britain.

A sixth Yemeni man was given a five-year jail term and a probation of three more years.

The six convicts were arrested and put on trial last February purportedly for spying for the British intelligence service in return for 300 dollars per month for each. according to pro-Houthi media.

The death verdicts against the five were the latest in a series of heavy-handed sentences on similar charges issued by courts controlled by Al Houthis against dissidents in areas under the rebels’ control, according to rights groups. Last year, a court handed down death sentences to four Yemeni journalists.

The Iran-aligned militia of Al Houthis plunged Yemen into a devastating war in late 2014 when they unseated the internationally recognised government and seized parts of the country, including Sana’a.