a court in rebel-held Sana’a sentenced to death journalist Yahya Al Jubaihi, who has been de

a court in rebel-held Sana’a sentenced to death journalist Yahya Al Jubaihi, who has been detained since Sept. 6, on charges of collaborating and spying for an “enemy state”. In what Yemen’s former minister for human rights has called a “farce trial”, Al Jubaihi, 61, is accused of helping forces loyal to the internationally recognised Aden-based government headed by Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Specifically, Al Jubaihi faces charges that include establishing “contact with a foreign state”, providing reports for Saudi Arabia that constitute “spying”, and aiding rival forces in killings and attacks in Houthi-controlled areas. The rebel-controlled Saba news agency reported accusations that Al Jubaihi had received a salary from Saudi Arabia since 2010. It accused Al Jubaihi’s reporting of posing “harm to Yemen militarily, politically and economically”. The Yemen Journalist Syndicate, however, condemned the ruling, calling it “heinous” and “unconstitutional”. The syndicate also labelled the court process “arbitrary”, accusing rebels of actively trying to crack down on press freedom. Al Jubaihi is a veteran journalist with a long professional career in Yemen. He has written for Saudi papers Okaz and Al-Madina, as well as for Yemeni newspapers.