Amnesty International condemns public executions of homosexuals by Houthis in Yemen

In Yemen, a Houthi-controlled court recently sentenced nine people to death for homosexuality, seven of whom will face stoning and two will be crucified. This news has caused widespread international concern and condemnation. Amnesty International has stated that these actions are spreading fear of the LGBTQ+ community and the Yemeni public at large.

The verdicts were reportedly handed down at an armed Houthi court in Damar, Yemen, and twenty-three others were sentenced to between six months and ten years in prison on a variety of charges including homosexuality, 'spreading immorality' and 'immoral behavior'. Videos circulating on social media show two people being whipped in public, which may have happened in front of their homes.

In addition, a Houthi armed court in Ibb, Yemen, sentenced 13 students to death and three others to flogging for "spreading homosexuality". Thirty-five others were detained on homosexual charges, sources said.

Two courts run by the Houthi movement have sentenced more than 40 men. The regime has been attacking ships in the Red Sea since November and has been subjected to retaliatory strikes by the United States and Britain. Yemen sits on the southeastern edge of the Red Sea, and the Iranian-backed Houthi movement controls the desert nation's most populous region and has been engaged in a long-running war with a coalition led by Yemen's northern neighbor, Saudi Arabia.

Grazia Careccia, Amnesty International's deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, called the planned executions a "horrific public spectacle" designed to spread fear among LGBTQ+ people and Yemenis in general. She described all the sentences as "very distressing".

In a statement, Carrecia said, "Public flogging is a cruel and inhumane punishment that violates the absolute prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment under international law and should not be practiced under any circumstances." She added: "The authorities must immediately and unconditionally release all those detained solely on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity."

Niku Jafarnia, a Yemeni researcher at Human Rights Watch, told AFP, "The Houthis have stepped up their atrocities inside the country, while the world is watching their attacks in the Red Sea." Jafarnia added: "If they really cared about the Palestinian rights they claim to defend, they wouldn't be flogging and stoning Yemenis to death."

These events highlight the extreme dangers and challenges faced by sexual minorities in war and conflict. The international community is calling for immediate action to protect these innocent people from further persecution and violence.