Yemen
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1998
Data card
- Legal status
- Retentionist
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 0
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 0
- First news item in the archive
- JULY 22, 1998 · Yemen signed the letter, dated 22 July 1999, addressed...
- News items in the archive
- 353
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
Yemen is classified as Retentionist in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 0 executions in the country, against 0 the year before. The archive holds 353 news items on Yemen, from 1998 to today.
In Yemen the death penalty applies to murder, sexual offences, apostasy and offences against state security. Executions are carried out by shooting, in some cases in public.
The conflict has made the picture even harder to verify: sentences come from authorities that do not recognise one another, and the real number of cases cannot be established. The archive gathers what is documented and names the source.
Latest news
NOVEMBER 24, 2025YemenDEATH PENALTYYEMEN: HOUTHIS SENTENCE 17 TO DEATH OVER ALLEGED SPYING FOR ISRAEL, US, SAUDI ARABIA
A court operating under Yemen’s Houthi rebels on November 23, 2025 sentenced 17 people to death for allegedly spying on behalf of Israel, the United States and Saudi Arabia, rebel media said.
JULY 16, 2025YemenDEATH PENALTYYEMEN POSTPONES EXECUTION OF INDIAN NURSE ON DEATH ROW
Authorities in Yemen have postponed the execution of an Indian nurse who is on death row after being found guilty of murder, Indian foreign ministry sources say.
SEPTEMBER 24, 2024YemenDEATH PENALTYYEMEN: JOURNALIST SENTENCED TO DEATH BY HOUTHI-CONTROLLED GROUP
The owner of media companies Yemen Digital Media and Yemen Live for Media Production and Satellite Broadcasting, Taha Ahmed Rashid Al-Maamari, on September 24, 2024 was sentenced to death by a Houthi-controlled court
- JUNE 3, 2024YemenDEATH PENALTY
YEMEN: HOUTHIS SENTENCE 44 TO DEATH ON CHARGES OF COLLABORATION WITH A SAUDI-LED COALITION
A court run by Yemen's Houthi rebels on June 1st, 2024 sentenced 44 people to death, including a businessman working with aid groups, on spying charges, a defense lawyer said.
- MARCH 27, 2024YemenDEATH PENALTY
YEMEN: HOUTHIS SENTENCE MEN TO DEATH, FLOGGING
A Houthi court sentenced 32 men, 9 of them to death, on January 23, 2024, in an unfair mass trial based on dubious charges of “sodomy,” Human Rights Watch said on March 27, 2024.
FEBRUARY 6, 2024YemenDEATH PENALTYYEMEN: 13 SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR HOMOSEXUALITY
A Huthi-run court in Yemen has sentenced 13 people to public execution on homosexuality charges, a judicial source said on February 2, 2024
DECEMBER 12, 2023IndiaDEATH PENALTYMOTHER OF NURSE FACING EXECUTION IN YEMEN TOLD TO EXPLAIN ‘BLOOD MONEY’
The Delhi High Court on December 11, 2023 directed Premakumari, the mother of Nimisha Priya, a Kerala nurse facing a death sentence in Yemen for her involvement in the murder of a local citizen, to furnish documents illustrating the legal option of blood
DECEMBER 6, 2023YemenDEATH PENALTYYEMEN: HUTHIS SENTENCE RIGHTS ACTIVIST TO DEATH
A Yemeni human rights activist has been sentenced to death on spying charges by a court in Sanaa, the country's Huthi-held capital, her lawyer told AFP on December 5, 2023.
OCTOBER 5, 2023YemenDEATH PENALTYYEMEN: FOUR SENTENCED TO DEATH OVER KIDNAPPING OF MSF AID WORKERS
A court in Yemen’s southeastern province of Hadramout on October 3, 2023 sentenced four Yemenis to death for kidnapping international humanitarian workers last year.
APRIL 26, 2023YemenDEATH PENALTYYEMEN: FOUR JOURNALISTS ON DEATH ROW RELEASED IN PRISONER EXCHANGE
Journalists Tawfiq Al-Mansoori, Abdul Khaleq Amran, Akram Al-Waleedi and Hareth Humaid, who had been sentenced to death for their journalistic work, have been released as part of a prisoner exchange on 16 April 2023, they had spent eight years behind bars
FEBRUARY 20, 2023YemenDEATH PENALTYYEMEN: FATHER PARDONS KILLER OF HIS SON MOMENTS BEFORE EXECUTION
A leader of a Yemeni tribe in the Ma’rib governorate pardoned the killer of his son on 20 February 2023, moments before his execution, local media reported.
JANUARY 9, 2023YemenDEATH PENALTYYEMEN: THE HOUTHIS HAVE SENTENCED 350 OF THEIR OPPONENTS TO DEATH
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have issued 350 death sentences since seizing power in a 2014 coup.
DECEMBER 22, 2022YemenDEATH PENALTYYEMEN: HOUTHI-CONTROLLED COURT SENTENCES 16 YEMENIS TO DEATH, 13 OTHERS TO PRISON
Houthi-run Specialised Criminal Court of First Instance in Yemen’s capital of Sana’a on 7 December 2022 convicted 16 Yemenis, seven of whom were already detained, on charges of communicating with and assisting the “Saudi-Emirati aggression countries”.
- MARCH 8, 2022YemenDEATH PENALTY
YEMEN: APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS DEATH PENALTY OF KERALA NURSE
An Appeals Court in Yemen on 7 March 2022 upheld death penalty for Keralite nurse Nimisha Priya (33) who is charged with murder of a Yemen youth back in 2017, a killing she maintains was accidental and at end of mental torture and business fraud on part o
FEBRUARY 24, 2022YemenDEATH PENALTYYEMEN: THREE PEOPLE SENTENCED TO DEATH BY HOUTHI TRIBUNAL
The Specialized Criminal Court in Sanaa, which is controlled by the Houthis, on 22 February 2022 sentenced to death three people, including a school principal, on charges of colluding with the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen and the Yemeni govern
- NOVEMBER 22, 2021YemenDEATH PENALTY
YEMEN: RAY OF HOPE FOR KERALITE NIMISHA PRIYA DEATH ROW
An Appeal Court in Yemen has allowed Keralite Nimisha Priya to employ a translator during the trial proceedings over the case pertaining to the murder of a Yemeni national, Manorama News reported on 22 November 2021.
OCTOBER 12, 2021YemenDEATH PENALTYEU CALLS ON HOUTHIS' TO REVOKE DEATH SENTENCES AGAINST JOURNALISTS
The European Union on 10 October 2021 called for death sentences issued against Yemeni journalists and activists to be revoked.
- SEPTEMBER 20, 2021YemenDEATH PENALTY
YEMEN: HOUTHIS EXECUTE NINE MEN FOR INVOLVEMENT IN SAMAD DEATH
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement said on 18 September 2021 that authorities had executed nine men who were convicted of involvement in the 2018 killing of Saleh al-Samad, then the armed group's top civilian leader.
SEPTEMBER 8, 2021YemenDEATH PENALTYYEMEN: EXECUTION OF THE KILLERS OF YOUNG MAN AL-AGHBARI AMID STRICT SECURITY MEASURES
A court under the control of the Houthi militia in Sanaa on 6 September 2021 executed four convicts for the murder of Abdullah Al-Aghbari, 19.
- JULY 15, 2021YemenDEATH PENALTY
YEMEN: HOUTHI COURT SENTENCES MAN TO DEATH BY CRUCIFIXION, ORDERS HIS BODY TO BE PUT ON DISPLAY FOR 2 DAYS
The Sana’a Criminal Court, affiliated to Al Houthi militia, sentenced a Yemeni man to death by crucifixion and has ordered that his body be put on public display for assassinating the Al Houthi representative to the National Dialogue conference in 2014.
- JULY 12, 2021YemenDEATH PENALTY
YEMEN: HOUTHI COURT SENTENCES FIVE TO DEATH FOR SPYING FOR UK
A Houthi court sentenced five people to death on 6 July 2021 after finding them guilty of spying for the United Kingdom.
- JUNE 23, 2021YemenDEATH PENALTY
YEMEN: HOUTHIS SENTENCE TWO ACTIVISTS TO DEATH
A Houthi-run court on 15 June 2021 ordered that Zafaran Zaid, a Yemeni human rights activist and lawyer, and her husband and fellow activist Fuad Al-Mansouri be executed by firing squad.
JUNE 21, 2021YemenDEATH PENALTYYEMEN: HOUTHI MILITANTS PUBLICLY EXECUTE 3 FOR RAPE AND MURDER
Hundreds of people gathered in Yemen's rebel-held capital on 16 June 2021 to watch the execution of three men -- two convicted of child rape and murder, and one of killing his daughters.
- FEBRUARY 11, 2021YemenDEATH PENALTY
YEMEN: HOUTHI-RUN COURT SENTENCES LAWMAKERS TO DEATH
A court in Yemen’s capital run by the Houthi rebel group on 9 February 2021 handed down death sentences in absentia to 11 parliamentarians over their support for the Yemeni government.
- NOVEMBER 16, 2020YemenDEATH PENALTY
YEMEN: REBEL-RUN COURT SENTENCES 21 TO DEATH FOR SPYING FOR SAUDI-LED COALITION
A court controlled by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on 14 November 2020 sentenced 21 men to death for allegedly spying for the Saudi-led coalition which backs the Yemeni government, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.
- OCTOBER 13, 2020YemenDEATH PENALTY
YEMEN: HOUTHI-CONTROLLED COURTS ISSUED 200 DEATH SENTENCES SINCE 2017
SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties said on the occasion of the International Day against the Death Penalty, falls on October 10 of each year, that the courts under the control of the Houthis militia issued more than 200 death sentences against poli
OCTOBER 6, 2020YemenDEATH PENALTYYEMEN: HOUTHI COURT SENTENCES TRUMP, KING SALMAN AND SAUDI CROWN PRINCE TO DEATH
A Houthi court in Yemen on 1st October 2020 sentenced 10 people to death, including US President Donald Trump, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and his son Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Arabi21 reported.
SEPTEMBER 19, 2020YemenDEATH PENALTYYEMEN: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING HIS 2 BROTHERS
The court of Sanaa province ruled on 15 September 2020 to execute the accused of killing two of his brothers, Mohammed al-Kuhali.
- SEPTEMBER 17, 2020YemenDEATH PENALTY
YEMEN: MILITARY COURT SENTENCES 5 HOUTHI OPERATIVES
A Yemeni court in the central province of Marib on 6 September 2020 sentenced five Houthis to death for undermining security in government-controlled areas.
SEPTEMBER 15, 2020YemenDEATH PENALTYYEMEN: TWO AL-QAEDA MEMBERS SENTENCED TO DEATH
The Specialized Criminal Court in Sanaa upheld on 19 August 2020 the death penalty against two Al-Qaeda members.