Al Mukalla: Yemen’s Supreme Judicial Council has moved the country’s Specialised Criminal Court from Al Houthi-held Sana’a to the province of Marib as to prevent the Iran-backed Al Houthi from using the court to prosecute their opponents.
At a meeting in the southern port city of Aden, the council, the highest legal authority in Yemen, has approved a suggestion to open a new court in Marib that would take the authorities of Sana’a-based court.
According to official media outlets, the Supreme Judicial Council has overturned the Specialised Criminal Court’s jurisdiction in the capital, which Al Houthis used to impeach their opponents on “malicious charges”.
The decision comes as Al Houthis sentenced 12 people to death on espionage charges, accusing them of sending military information and locations of their militants to the Saudi-led coalition.
The internationally-recognised government strongly condemned the prosecution and accused Al Houthis of manipulating judicial bodies in Sana’a to settle scores with pro-government figures.
Military experts believe that the escalating prosecution over the last couple of weeks is aimed at intimidated Yemenis and scaring them away from cooperating with the Saudi-led coalition.
