Yemen Monitor / Newsroom
Human rights organizations, both local and international, condemned on Tuesday the Houthi court’s decision to extend the prison sentence of journalist Nabil Al-Sadawi from eight years to nine years.
The Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate denounced this verdict and called for his immediate release, demanding an end to all arbitrary and illegal procedures against him, affirming that his trial is unjust and lacks the minimum requirements for a fair trial.
It explained that this unjust verdict came after a series of arbitrary actions and practices, starting from his abduction and enforced disappearance, followed by the denial of visits and torture.
The syndicate added that he has been “imprisoned for years without being presented to a court that allows him and his lawyer to provide a legal defense,” considering the verdict a continuation of the violations he has faced for over nine years spent in prison.
In turn, the American Center for Justice (ACJ) condemned the Houthis’ extension of Al-Sadawi’s prison term, as he has been held captive for years.
The ACJ confirmed that the specialized penal appellate court in Sana’a, controlled by the militia, issued its verdict last Sunday to intensify Al-Sadawi’s sentence to nine years instead of eight.
The rights organization called on the Houthi group to stop using the judiciary as a tool to pursue its political opponents and to intensify penalties against them.
It demanded the immediate release of all detainees, the cessation of illegal trials, and respect for the basic rights of political prisoners.
It is noteworthy that the previous sentence (8 years) issued by the Houthi court against journalist Al-Sadawi had ended on September 22, but the armed group continued to hold him since then without providing reasons.
The armed group kidnapped journalist Nabil Muhammad Muhammad Al-Sadawi on September 21, 2015, accusing him of committing several serious crimes, including working for Saudi Arabia, and they forced him to confess to fabricated charges written by members of the group, according to Amnesty International.
