A Houthi-run court in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Monday confirmed death sentences for nine Yemenis convicted of espionage, Xinhua reported, citing the Houthi‑controlled al‑Masirah TV channel.
The court upheld the original verdicts against the nine, whom the Houthis accuse of spying for foreign countries, including the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. The report noted that eight of the men are in custody while one remains at large.
While the court reduced or overturned sentences for other defendants in a broader espionage case, it left the death penalties for these nine unchanged.
In a statement, the Houthis said the convictions stem from activities that “harm national security" and insisted that trials in their areas follow local laws.
The verdicts come amid escalating tensions since late 2023, when the Houthis began targeting Israel and international shipping in the Red Sea, saying the attacks were carried out in support of Gazans.
The Houthis have regularly issued death sentences, particularly in alleged espionage cases, throughout more than a decade of control over large parts of Yemen.
Some of the espionage accusations have been leveled at dozens of detained UN workers. These allegations remain unproven.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last month condemned the Houthis’ referral of United Nations staff to their special criminal court.
Later, the United States condemned the Houthis’ ongoing detention of current and former local staffers of the US embassy in Yemen.
The Houthis’ actions prompted repeated airstrikes by the US, Britain, and Israel on Houthi‑held areas.
Israeli airstrikes in August on Sanaa, carried out in response to Houthi missile and drone attacks toward Israel, killed dozens of Houthi officials, including 12 “ministers" and the group’s Military Chief of Staff, Muhammad Abd Al-Karim al-Ghamari, who was wounded and eventually succumbed to his wounds.