Geneva - SAM for Rights and Liberties has released its latest human rights report titled “Arbitrary Execution,” a comprehensive document that records and analyzes the death sentences issued by the Houthi-controlled Specialized Criminal Court in Sana’a against 17 Yemeni civilians, following what the organization described as show trials that were expedited, superficial, and devoid of the minimum standards of fair trial and due process.
Spanning nearly thirty pages, the report details grave violations that accompanied the arrest, interrogation, and trial procedures. According to the documentation gathered by SAM through direct testimonies, official documents, and images from inside detention centers, the process was marred by the absence of lawful procedures, the reliance on confessions extracted under torture, and the use of the judiciary as a tool to provide a façade of legality for pre-determined political decisions.
A Pattern of Escalation Amid a Charged Political Context
The report notes that these sentences come within a broader pattern of escalation over the past two years, characterized by waves of arrests, the formation of parallel security units, the issuance of restrictive legislation, and the routine use of accusations such as “espionage” or “collaboration” with foreign states as a pretext for targeting independent or dissenting voices. SAM affirms that these charges lacked any material evidence and formed part of a recurring policy of politicizing the judiciary and converting political disagreements into “treason crimes” that justify severe punishment.
Citizens, Not Criminals
A striking conclusion of the report concerns the nature of the individuals targeted by these sentences. Testimonies and field investigations reveal that those prosecuted were ordinary citizens with no connection to political or security activity. Many were day laborers, craftsmen, impoverished youth, or individuals suffering from illness, each struggling under harsh living conditions before their arrest. The report emphasizes that the Houthi group deliberately broadened the circle of accusations to include the most vulnerable segments of society in order to construct an official narrative portraying the existence of “espionage networks” or “foreign agents,” despite the absence of any credible legal evidence. As a result, innocent civilians were turned into victims of vague, pre-fabricated charges used to project an image of security firmness and to cement fear within society—an explicit violation of their dignity and right to justice.
Forced Disappearances and Months Without Contact
The report documents that most of the victims were subjected to abduction and enforced disappearance lasting months, during which they were denied access to their families or lawyers and were held without judicial warrants. Families recounted exhausting daily searches through prisons and security centers, receiving no information about their loved ones. Some detainees remained missing for three to four months before appearing for the first time—wearing prison uniforms—to deliver coerced “confessions” recorded by Houthi-affiliated media outlets.
Systematic Torture and Denial of Legal Defense
The report includes extensive testimonies of severe torture, including beatings, suspension, electric shocks, prolonged solitary confinement, and psychological abuse. Several defendants appeared in court showing clear signs of exhaustion and ill-treatment, yet the court rejected all defense motions to refer them to medical examination or investigate torture claims. Lawyers were prevented from accessing case files or presenting meaningful arguments, while the verdicts appeared pre-written before hearings even began.
Loyal Judges and a Judicial System Turned Into a Stage
The report further analyzes the re-engineering of the judicial system in Sana’a, highlighting the appointment of loyalist judges to the Specialized Criminal Court. These judges—widely known in Sana’a as “execution judges” due to the high number of death sentences they issue in politically motivated cases—have turned the court into a platform for ratifying predetermined security decisions rather than an independent judicial body.
Heartbreaking Stories of Vulnerable Victims
The report presents tragic personal accounts, including that of Dr. Muhajim Hajar, who suffered from medical complications before being abducted and later appeared, emaciated and exhausted, in a recorded “confession.” Another case is that of Fayan Nisan, a young technician who repaired satellite dishes to support his family, only to be charged with espionage without evidence and sentenced in a hearing lasting only minutes. These stories illustrate the profound injustice inflicted on the poorest and most vulnerable citizens, whose suffering was exploited to reinforce an official security narrative unrelated to their lives or circumstances.
Conclusion: Arbitrary Executions Amounting to War Crimes
SAM concludes that the sentences constitute arbitrary executions that rise to the level of war crimes, as defined under international humanitarian law, because they were issued following trials that did not meet basic standards of justice, and within an active armed conflict in clear violation of the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Urgent Recommendations
In its concluding section, SAM issued several urgent recommendations, including: