Latest news with #Yemeni
Yemen Press Agency
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yemen Press Agency
Sanaa calls for urgent int'l intervention regarding critical conditions of expatriates in Saudi Arabia
SANAA, July 17 (YPA) – The Sanaa-based Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jamal Amer, called for urgent international intervention regarding the critical humanitarian and legal conditions facing a large number of Yemeni expatriates detained in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This came in the letters he sent to both the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, the President of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Jürg Lauber, and the IOM Director General, Amy Pope. The letters confirmed that the ministry in Sanaa had received numerous documented reports from citizens and their families, as well as from concerned civil society organizations, indicating practices that contravene the most basic principles of human rights and international law against Yemeni expatriates in Saudi Arabia. These practices focused in private on the arbitrary detention of many expatriates who were arrested without clear charges or being brought to trial within a reasonable timeframe in accordance with international legal standards. The ministry's letters indicated that practices attributed to complex administrative procedures related to deportation or the lack of a sponsor, which unlawfully deprive these individuals of their liberty and place their families in an extremely difficult humanitarian and economic situation. In addition, Yemeni diplomatic and consular missions in Saudi Arabia face difficulty in accessing detainees and depriving them of their fundamental right to defend themselves and to exercise of their internationally guaranteed legal rights. The minister pointed out that these practices not only contravened fundamental principles of human rights and international law, but also exacerbated the humanitarian suffering of citizens already living under extremely harsh conditions due to the aggression and blockade in Yemen. He stated that these conditions constituted a clear violation of numerous international instruments to which states were bound, including the principles related to the right to liberty, personal security, and a fair trial. Minister Amer expressed the Sanaa government's confidence in the vital role that the OHCHR, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and the IOM played in protecting and providing assistance to migrants and displaced persons around the world. He called on these organizations to urgently and directly intervene to address this urgent humanitarian issue by urging the Saudi authorities to immediately release Yemeni detainees who have completed their sentences or who are being arbitrarily detained without legal basis, in accordance with their international obligations.
Arab Times
2 hours ago
- Arab Times
Man With 44 Children Loses Kuwaiti Citizenship After DNA Probe
KUWAIT CITY, July 18: Authorities have uncovered a complex case involving a man born in 1956, who had 44 children listed under his name and a total of 122 dependents linked to his citizenship file. The case first came to light in 2006, when the Nationality Investigation Department discovered that the individual held citizenship from another Gulf country. Upon being confronted with official documents confirming his true identity, he admitted to possessing Gulf citizenship and pledged to renounce it. Notably, his Kuwaiti identity differed entirely from his Gulf identity. In 2017, the man added a Yemeni child to his file, further raising suspicions. By 2025, investigations intensified, and 13 men identified as his brothers were summoned. They were informed that their father's nationality file was under scrutiny and were questioned about their siblings, both real and potentially fraudulent. The 13 individuals confirmed that they were indeed biological brothers, all sharing the same father, but claimed not to know the other supposed siblings. DNA testing confirmed that these 13 were genuine siblings. However, DNA analysis ultimately proved that the man born in 1956 was not related to the 13 real brothers by blood. As a result, his Kuwaiti citizenship was revoked, along with the citizenship of the 122 individuals who had obtained it through his fraudulent claim.
Global News
3 hours ago
- Global News
Crown withdraws terrorism allegations against Yemeni man arrested in Toronto area
Federal prosecutors have withdrawn terrorism allegations against a Yemeni man arrested in the Toronto area three months ago. The case against Husam Taha Ali Al-Sewaiee was dropped at a court appearance on Thursday, his lawyer said in a statement. The move came after the RCMP received new information that satisfied initial fears about the 33-year-old. He still faces a threatening charge. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Al-Sewaiee was initially arrested in Mississauga, Ont., on April 15 for uttering threats. Four days later, he was arrested again. This time, the RCMP's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team alleged he had attempted to leave Canada to join a terrorist organization. He was not charged with terrorism. Instead, prosecutors asked the court for a terrorism peace bond that would restrict his movements in the name of public safety. Story continues below advertisement 'Mr. Al-Sewaiee has always maintained this peace bond application was baseless and the allegations against him were entirely without merit,' his lawyer Rebecca Amoah said. 'Mr. Al-Sewaiee has been wrongly prosecuted, arrested, and detained. He has spent almost two months in custody, without being charged with any related criminal offence, pending the determination of a baseless peace bond application that the Crown has now withdrawn.'
India.com
4 hours ago
- India.com
What Is Qisas, Diyah? Kerala Nurse On Yemen's Death Row Awaits A Life-Or-Death Verdict Under God's Law
New Delhi: Somewhere in a prison cell at Sanaa in Yemen, a Malayali nurse, Nimisha Priya, waits for an answer that could decide whether she lives or dies. The clock ticks. She is not waiting for a court verdict. That has already been pronounced. She has been convicted of murder and sentenced to death. What she is waiting for now is a decision from a Yemeni family, one that has refused to forgive her. Their demand is chilling in its finality: Qisas – an eye for an eye or blood for blood. And in Yemen, where Islamic law defines the justice system, the family's decision is all that matters. The Story Behind the Sentence Nimisha's life began in Kerala's Palakkad district. A trained nurse, she once dreamed of building a better life for her family. That dream took her to Yemen in 2008, where she initially found work as a nurse in a hospital. But what followed was far from the life she had imagined. She later entered into a business partnership with a Yemeni man, Talal Abdo Mahdi, to run a clinic. Reports and statements from her family and supporters allege that the man, now dead, exploited and abused her. They claim he took her passport, harassed her and restricted her movements. Her family and campaigners say Nimisha tried many times to get her passport back and return to India, but was trapped. The events leading to Talal's death remain contested, but in 2017, she was arrested after his body was found dismembered and hidden in a water tank. Yemeni courts found her guilty of murder. In 2020, she was sentenced to death. Qisas vs. Diyah In Yemen, justice in murder cases is not only about courts and judges. It is personal. Deeply personal. Under Islamic laws, which Yemen follows, two key principles define criminal justice in murder cases: 1. Qisas – retributive justice. If someone kills a person, he/she can be executed unless the family of the victim chooses to forgive. 2. Diyah is compensation, often referred to as 'blood money'. If the family agrees, the killer can be spared in exchange for a financial settlement. The law gives the victim's family the full right to decide whether to seek execution (Qisas) or accept compensation (Diyah). No government, court or diplomat can override that decision. And in this case, the victim's family is crystal clear. They want Qisas. No forgiveness. No blood money. Only death. 'No Money Can Bring Back Our Brother' The family of the victim has made their position known, again and again. His brother, Abdelfattah Mahdi, posted an emotional and unequivocal message on Facebook. 'Our demand is clear – Qisas, and nothing else,' he wrote, adding, 'No amount of money can bring back our brother. Blood cannot be bought.' With that, the door slammed shut, for now, on any hope that Nimisha could be saved through Diyah. Indian humanitarian groups and Nimisha's mother have been trying desperately to convince the family to reconsider. Campaigners have raised money and offered to pay any amount demanded by Mahdi's relatives. They have pleaded on humanitarian grounds, pointing out that Nimisha has a young daughter who would be orphaned by her death. But none of it has changed the family's mind. An Execution Delayed, But Not Cancelled Nimisha's execution was initially scheduled for July 16. But just days before the scheduled hanging, Yemen postponed the sentence. Some reports suggest that Indian diplomatic pressure may have helped secure a delay. Others believe it was on the intervention of a respected cleric, who is engaged in negotiations with all stake holders. Whatever the reason, the execution has not been cancelled – only delayed. The danger still hangs over her like a guillotine. The only thing that can now save Nimisha from death is if Talal Mahdi's family has a change of heart. As per Yemeni law, there is no room for negotiation once a family insists on Qisas. If they maintain that demand, Nimisha will be executed. The Yemeni state will be bound by law to carry it out. India's Legal Lens vs. Yemen's Religious Justice The contrast between India's legal system and Yemen's is stark. In India, the state handles murder prosecutions. The government, not the victim's family, decides whether to pursue the death penalty. Even after a conviction, there are appeals, clemency petitions and presidential pardons. But in Yemen, it is the victim's family who holds the power of life and death. In 2006, Yemen incorporated Qisas and Diyah into its Penal Code under Articles 224-246. Under these laws, the victim's heirs can demand execution, accept compensation or forgive entirely. Judges cannot interfere if the family insists on Qisas. And once the execution is carried out, the case is considered closed. That is why even diplomatic intervention has limited impact. Indian authorities can request clemency, but only the family's consent carries weight under Yemeni law. A Plea for Mercy, A Mother's Hope Nimisha's mother, family and young daughter continue to wait. Human rights activists have not given up either. They hope that with time, and perhaps some gesture of reconciliation, the Mahdi family may agree to talk. The Indian government, through its embassy in Djibouti (India does not have an embassy in Yemen due to ongoing civil war), is in touch with local intermediaries. But time is running out. And Nimisha's life now rests not in the hands of any law, lawyer or judge, but in the heart of a bereaved family. This is not merely about law or justice or geopolitics. It is about a woman who once held a stethoscope and dreamed of a better life, and now stares at a noose. It is about a family torn apart by a brutal murder, and another family watching their daughter slip closer to death every day. It is about a justice system where the law steps back and lets grief make the final call. And right now, that call is Qisas.
L'Orient-Le Jour
5 hours ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Anti-Houthi force seizes 'massive' Iranian weapons shipment: CENTCOM
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Wednesday in a post on X that a military group known as the Yemeni National Resistance Forces (NRF) had seized a "massive" shipment of Iranian weapons bound for the Houthi rebels. The NRF is an anti-Houthi force in Yemen, led by Tarek Saleh, the nephew of the former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. It is not officially part of the internationally recognized government. These Yemeni forces "seized more than 750 tons of munitions and equipment, including hundreds of advanced cruise, anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles, warheads and guidance devices, components as well as hundreds of drone engines, air defense equipment, radar systems and communications equipment," the statement added. Since the start of the Israeli offensive on Gaza in October 2023, the Iran-backed Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.
