Thirteen people have been sentenced to death in Yemen for “homosexual practices”. A court in the hands of the Houthi rebels decided this, a legal source confirmed to the AFP news agency on Tuesday.
The trial took place in Ibb, a southwestern province led by the pro-Iranian rebel group. It is also from there that the attacks on ships in the Red Sea are carried out.
A total of sixteen people were in the dock, three of whom received a prison sentence. According to the source, who remains anonymous because talking to the press is not allowed, 35 other people have recently been arrested in Ibb on similar charges.
AFP obtained images from the courtroom, although their authenticity cannot be independently confirmed. The videos show the judge listing all the charges: homosexuality, “indecent assault,” “incitement to debauchery” and “dissemination of images contrary to public decency.”
The convicted persons can still appeal against the verdict. Outright death sentences are not always carried out. According to a 2022 report by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory, 350 people have been sentenced to death in the country since the Houthis came to power in Yemen’s most populous areas. Eleven of these have already been executed.
The Houthis impose very strict social and religious rules, mainly targeting women.
