middle east

Judges in Houthi-held Sanaa on strike after killing of colleague

SMA NEWS – SANA’A
Courts in Houthi-held Sanaa were paralyzed on Saturday as Yemen’s judges went on strike in an attempt to force the Iran-backed militia to charge those involved in the killing of a senior judge last week, residents said.

Khaled Al-Kamal, a Sanaa-based lawyer who visited three courts on Saturday, told Arab News that they were empty as judges and administrative workers refused to work in a rare protest against the killing, as well as low and unpaid salaries and meddling by powerful Houthi figures.

“Strong efforts are being made to resume work at the courts,” Al-Kamal said.

Judge Mohammed Hamran, a 63-year-old Supreme Court judge in Sanaa, was kidnapped from outside his home on Al-Asbahi street and found dead days later.

The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of the killing, saying that Hamran had previously ruled against the militia’s looting of both public and private lands and other properties.

The murder has spurred the Yemen Courts Club, an umbrella group for judges around the nation, to declare a temporary suspension of court operations until the Houthis bring the murderers to justice.

The club also accused a Houthi-affiliated journalist, Mohammed Al-Emad, who runs Al-Hawiah TV, of inciting the public to kill the judge by alleging that he was corrupt. They have asked for the channel to be closed down and for charges to be brought against Al-Emad.

The judges also demanded an end to meddling in the judicial system, as well as payment of judges’ salaries, which have not been paid for more than a year.

“The (judicial) authority and its men have not been granted their legitimate right to financial sufficiency. Nor has their dignity, blood, and prestige been respected,” the club said in a statement.

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