To human rights organizations, activists, legal professionals, parliamentarians, and the international community:

As part of its activities to monitor human rights violations in Yemen, SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties, a member of the Justice for Yemen coalition, calls on you to join our human rights campaign, under the slogan: #Together_to_Abolish_Political_Executions. 

The campaign will begin on Wednesday, July 17, for a period of three days, to demand the abolition of the death penalty for political backgrounds, and the necessity of neutralizing the judiciary and protecting its independence from political divisions in Yemen. We emphasize that these texts are unclear and lack strict legal standards, which allows for their arbitrary use.

The continued use of the death penalty in the ongoing conflict in Yemen constitutes a serious violation of human rights, as reports have documented violations of the principles of fair trial, and depriving victims of the right to defense, where the trials appeared to be a formality aimed at suppressing opponents and a tool of political revenge, constituting a flagrant violation of human rights and undermining the foundations of justice and the rule of law.

According to available statistics, the number of death sentences issued by the criminal courts under the supervision of the Ansar Allah group (the Houthi group) is about 550 rulings, according to documented reports by the SAM organization, most of them against political opponents, the latest of which was the issuance of a decision to execute 45 civilian Yemenis on June 1, 2024, and the execution of 9 individuals in the so-called "Al-Samad case". In contrast, 30 rulings were issued by the courts affiliated with the internationally recognized legitimate government. We believe that the use of these texts to issue death sentences reflects a serious deviation from the principles of justice and humanity, and reflects the urgent need to review and amend the applicable laws.

The continued use of political death penalty texts in Yemen constitutes a flagrant violation of human rights and contributes to fueling political conflicts and violence. We call on all concerned parties to take immediate action to abolish these texts and work to reform the judiciary to ensure the achievement of justice and the protection of human rights in Yemen.

In our campaign, we call for the necessity of stopping the application of the specific texts mentioned in this campaign and working to abolish them in accordance with human rights, and forming an independent legal committee to prepare new legislation that is consistent with human rights and ensures the protection of individuals from exposure to death sentences due to their political beliefs.

The organization calls for:

- Abolishing the death penalty completely in cases related to opinion and political conflicts, as stated in Articles 125, 126/1/2/3, 127/3, and 129 of the Penal Code, and amending Articles 15 and 27 of the Military Penal Code, Article 27 of the Military Penal Code, as well as Articles 34 and 35 of the Anti-Kidnapping and Hijacking Law, in accordance with human rights and ensuring the availability of basic human rights guarantees.

- Protecting the independence of the judiciary and ensuring its pursuit of justice, free from any political influences or interventions. The judiciary should be a safe haven for justice, not a tool for political revenge.

- Suspending the implementation of all death sentences issued through summary procedures that violate the principles of justice and human rights.

- Establishing an independent committee to investigate all death sentences issued for political reasons and reviewing them to ensure justice.

We urgently appeal to all human rights organizations, activists, legal professionals, parliamentarians, and the international community to stand with us in this campaign and support us in achieving its goals. Solidarity and joint efforts are the only way to ensure justice and protect human rights in Yemen.

We believe that the continued use of the death penalty for political reasons poses a serious threat to individuals' lives and undermines the principles of justice and opportunities for peace in Yemen. Therefore, we call on everyone to join our campaign and contribute to achieving real change that guarantees justice for all.

Let us unite together to abolish political death penalty and achieve true justice in Yemen.

We look forward to your support in achieving justice and human rights in Yemen.

#TogetherToAbolishPoliticalDeathPenalty

#AbolishDeathPenalty