Amnesty International reported that two men are at risk of imminent execution, in Yemen.

Amnesty International reported that two men are at risk of imminent execution, in Yemen. Ismail Lutef Huraish, 47, and his cousin Ali Mussara’a Muhammad Huraish, 37, were sentenced to death in 2000 for a murder committed in 1998. Ismail Lutef Huraish, who is deaf, was not given access to sign-language interpretation, and was reportedly convicted solely on the basis of the "confession" of his cousin.
The two men were reportedly arrested on 14 October in a village near the city of Taiz, and were charged with murder the following day. The Supreme Court upheld their death sentences in January 2004. President ´Ali ´Abdullah Saleh is currently considering their sentences. The President may grant clemency, but if he chooses to ratify their sentences, the men could be executed at any time.
Since the men were arrested, the authorities have not provided sign-language interpretation for Ismail Lutef Huraish. Therefore, at no point in the judicial process was he able to give his own account of his alleged involvement in the murder. His guilt was apparently decided solely on the basis of statements Ali
Mussara’a Muhammad Huraish made during police interrogation and during their trial, which allegedly implicated both men in the murder. Amnesty International has no further information about these alleged "confessions".
The failure of the authorities to provide the means for Ismail Lutef Huraish to communicate is in violation of article 337 of the Yemeni penal code, which states that deaf defendants must have access to sign-language interpretation.