Sanaa, Yemen – The Iran-backed Houthi rebels announced on Saturday that they have condemned 17 men to death after a quick trial in northern Yemen. The group accused them of spying for Saudi Arabia and the United States.
A Houthi-run court in Saada province said the men passed secret information to “enemy intelligence services” during the long war. Judges claimed the group helped target missile and drone strikes on Houthi areas.
All 17 were arrested at different times in 2024 and 2025. Human rights groups say the trials were not fair – no real defense lawyers, secret sessions, and some defendants said they were forced to confess after torture.
The sentences still need final approval from the Houthi supreme leader, but death verdicts from these courts are almost always carried out by firing squad in public.
Since the Houthis took most of northern Yemen in 2014, they have executed dozens of people for spying or political reasons. The United Nations and Amnesty International call these trials “a mockery of justice.”
The war in Yemen has killed more than 150,000 people and left millions hungry. The Houthis keep attacking ships in the Red Sea and firing missiles at Israel and Saudi Arabia, while the Saudi-led coalition fights back with air strikes.
Many fear these new death sentences will make the already brutal conflict even worse.