Yemen Monitor/Sana’a/Exclusive:
The newly established Houthi-controlled Supreme Judicial Council has announced that it has made changes to the heads of 39 courts and divisions within the past two months. This comes after the Houthis declared a comprehensive restructuring of the judiciary and amended the judicial authority law, granting the group greater control over the judicial system.
During a meeting on Monday, the council discussed the accomplishments of the judicial inspection body, according to the Houthi-run Saba News Agency. The council revealed that in the past two months, it had replaced 12 appeals court presidents, 9 division heads, and 18 primary court judges. Additionally, new courts and divisions have been established in several governorates.
The meeting also noted that the council had made amendments to procedural laws and regulations governing the judicial inspection body, “enabling the body and the judiciary to work more effectively,” according to the official agency.
The meeting approved changes to the judiciary in Hodeidah, including the establishment of courts in the port district and al-Dhi district. Additionally, the names of North Hodeidah Court and South Hodeidah Court were changed to Al-Halli Primary Court and Al-Hawak Primary Court, respectively.
In mid-September, the Houthi armed group restructured the judicial authority in areas under its control and announced a new Supreme Judicial Council, two days after the group declared amendments to the judicial authority law.
The Lawyers’ Club in Sana’a condemned the amendments to the judicial authority, mocking the Houthi authority and describing it as a “seizing group” in Sana’a that does not represent the will of the people. The club argued that the amendments undermined the authority of constitutional rulings and national gains.
The new law empowers the head of the Supreme Political Council to appoint judges from outside the judicial authority who are considered to be legal scholars. It also grants him the authority to open courts without consulting the Supreme Judicial Council.
The law diminishes the constitutional powers of the Supreme Judicial Council, prohibits the Yemeni Bar Association, undermines the legal profession, and makes licenses contingent on the executive authority, specifically the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, as legal representatives.
The Arab Lawyers’ Union stated that the amendments represent a “serious encroachment on the independence of the judiciary.”
