Yemen: Houthi militia executes 9 persons at Sanaa's al-Sabeen Square in broad daylight

Yemen's Houthi militia executed nine persons in a public place on September 18, accusing them of spying for Saudi Arabia. The nine victims were transported in an armoured van to Sanaa's al-Sabeen Square and placed in a line in the centre of the square. They were then killed by a Houthi security unit. The killing was seen by hundreds of Houthi sympathisers in the morning. 

A spokesman of the Houthi security court read a sentence convicting the nine of espionage in the assassination of top Houthi commander Saleh al-Sammad in April 2018.

Al-Sammad, the president of the Houthi-controlled government that governs most of northern Yemen, was killed in April 2018 in the port city of Hodeidah on Yemen's west coast by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition airstrike. The court also condemned the death of 7 other defendants, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and former US President Donald Trump, who were convicted in absentia.

Al-Sammad was the coalition's highest-ranking official killed in the years-long conflict, which pits the Houthis against forces that are loyal to the internationally recognised government located in Aden, the country's southern port city. The Houthis, who promised to avenge his death, had fired ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia on a daily basis. They had also increased cross-border strikes by using drone missiles this year in August.

Yemen's government is supported by a Saudi-led coalition that has gained western backing. The Houthis and their primarily Gulf Arab allies accuse Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies of acting as stooges for arch-rival Iran.

The crisis began in 2014 when the Houthis took over Sanaa, prompting the Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year. Since then, thousands have died and millions have been driven to the verge of hunger in the world's biggest humanitarian disaster, according to the United Nations.

(With inputs from Xinhua)

Image: AP