Sectarianization of the judiciary.. Houthi approach to impose dynasty control and establish the imamate

"Majid...", a graduate of the College of Sharia and Law in Sana'a, was surprised by unfair conditions while applying to join the Higher Judicial Institute in Sana'a, which is under the control of the Houthi militia, Iran's arm in Yemen.

Dozens, in addition to "Majid..." of graduates of the faculties of Sharia, Law and Law in Sana'a, had their admission forms rejected because they did not meet the Houthi conditions that were set for new students at the institute.

Majid said: The administration of the institute, appointed by the Houthis, kept silent about the start date of registration and admission of new entrants, but some were able to know the date and went to the institute with the aim of registering and enrolling for the next academic year. Upon the arrival of the applicants to the institute, they were handed the registration forms, but they include unfair conditions, including taking signatures and approval from Houthi leaders and supervisors in the governorate and the area in which they live.

He pointed out that most of those who received these forms will not be able to enroll in the Higher Judicial Institute, due to the intransigence and refusal of the Houthi leaders to sign and seal the admission forms due to their lack of belonging to the dynasty as they call themselves, and also their lack of loyalty and joining the group or participating in the fighting in their ranks.

Unfair terms

According to judicial sources for "Newsyemen": the prominent leader, Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, who is appointed to the position of head of the supreme justice system in Yemen, held several meetings with the management of the Higher Judicial Institute, regarding determining the admissions for this year. During those closed meetings, it was agreed that a preliminary identification of the entrants would be the sons of the dynasty family and those loyal to them to a large extent, without passing the specific admission tests.

The sources added that the administration of the institute, appointed by the Houthis, introduced a new form this year aimed at disabling applicants who are not loyal to them. The paragraphs of the final form included illogical conditions that included requirements to participate in the fighting on the fronts, to join the sectarian courses held by the Houthi leaders in their areas of control, and other items that the Houthi institute administration is trying to incapacitate the enrollees . 

In addition, the institute’s administration incapacitated the new entrants, demanding several signatures starting from the director of the directorate in which the candidate resides, all the way to the director of security and the director of intelligence, the so-called mobilization representative in the governorate, the Houthi supervisor in the governorate, and the latest of which is the governor of the governorate.

Deliberate exclusion

During the previous year at the institute, the Houthi militia excluded about 200 students after they successfully passed all the exams, and they were replaced by unqualified elements who were nominated by prominent Houthi leaders, including Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, Abu Ali Al-Hakim, and Abdul Karim Al-Houthi. Despite the popular condemnation and rejection of the incident, the Houthi militia continues the process of sectarianizing the institute and accepting only loyalists.

Judicial sources indicated that the study process at the institute has become restricted and confined to a certain category, and that most of the students were accepted under instructions and directives from Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, who appointed himself head of the Supreme Judicial Authority. Noting that there is a major modification in the curricula within the institute that serves the Houthi approach and promotes sectarian ideology, not to mention forcing students to attend Houthi sectarian courses that are organized throughout the year.

scraping elimination

Since its coup in September 2014 and its control of Sanaa and a number of Yemeni governorates, the Houthi militia has focused on tightening its control over all state and decision-making apparatus, and making changes in them to impose Houthi sectarian ideology. The judicial institution received the largest targeting of the crimes of the two coups, between suppression, intimidation, killing of judges, and changing the method of work in these institutions.

The militia appointed for this task the prominent leader, Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, who is now heading the so-called "Supreme Judicial Authority", which is Houthi, whose main goal is to bulldoze the judiciary and exploit it for their interests and agenda in controlling and targeting their opponents.

The Houthi militia, through the "Judicial Authority", worked to exclude all judges who oppose the Houthi ideology, appoint loyalists to pass unfair rulings against their opponents, force judicial officials to submit their resignations, strengthen the work of the Houthi parallel judicial entities, and expand the looting of Yemeni wealth with judicial rulings, including the imposition of the judicial guard. on the property of their opponents and opponents of their rule.

Houthi violations against workers in the judiciary forced many officials and judges to submit their resignations, after using the most heinous tools of repression against them, including imprisonment, killing, torture, confiscation of their property, failure to pay their salaries, and targeting their families.

Houthi district

During the past years, Al-Houthi and a number of his aides worked to empty the judiciary and replace it with a new system presented by Al-Houthi as a parallel body to the judiciary, including the "Supreme Judicial Organization" as well as other entities whose aim is to work on resolving outstanding cases in the courts under rulings issued by the Houthi leaders appointed to these parallel bodies and entities. to eliminate. The militias force the parties to accept the rulings they issue to resolve cases and use force to enforce them.

During the period from 2019 to 2023, the Houthi justice system, through its affiliated leaders, worked to end thorny issues that needed a fair judiciary and not sectarian rulings and customs that are far from Islamic legislation and Yemeni law. According to the Houthi media, the leader Muhammad Ali al-Houthi and other Houthi leaders intervened in conducting friendly reconciliations in 286 tribal disputes over the past 4 years.

The formation of judicial entities and the harnessing of power for them, was also accompanied by a wide campaign to nationalize the judiciary, which happened late last year, when the militia leader, “Abdul-Malik al-Houthi,” issued a decision stipulating the appointment of 1,200 people who are loyal to him and who do not have any experience in several judicial places with multiple levels and tasks. Within the courts, prosecution offices, and judicial bodies, to replace a group of Sharia judges whom he accused of high treason and working for the legitimate government.

One of the marginalized judges in Sana'a told "NewsYemen": There is a new judicial system being created by the Houthis, whose aim is to make judges follow the Iranian Shiite approach, as judicial personnel who have received training in Iran are being appointed. He explained that the Judicial Authority, which has been trained by leader Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi since 2020, aims to confront the judicial institution.

He added that the Houthis have formed new inquisition courts as an alternative to the Judicial Inspection Commission, in addition to the "Grievances Commission" affiliated with the presidency of the Houthi Political Council, which has the right to object to judicial rulings issued. He pointed out that more than 100 judges and members on behalf of the work were suspended after the liquidation of Judge "Mohammed Hamran," a member of the Supreme Judicial Council in Yemen, who refused to sectarianize the judiciary, which prompted the Houthis to liquidate him.

Exploitation of the judiciary

Tightening control over the judiciary has allowed the Houthi militia to issue decisions that serve the group and its leaders in intimidating their opponents through unfair sentences that amount to death, as well as the acquisition of property, land and real estate under judicial orders and under the supervision of the so-called "judicial guard". The militias took advantage of their control over the judiciary to deal a blow to the tribesmen to control their property, and weaken their power to prevent any future uprising.

The race to control the judiciary created a major conflict between the Houthi factions, led by Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, who appointed himself head of the Supreme Judicial Institution, while the other wing was led by Mahdi al-Mashat and Ahmed Hamed. Both wings seek to extend their influence in the judiciary and tighten the security grip in their favour.

According to judicial sources, what is happening in the judicial institution in Sana'a and the rest of the Houthi-controlled areas is a systematic and planned action that is not far from the guardianship system that the Houthi militia is trying to impose by force on Yemeni society.

The sources confirmed that the judiciary has become hijacked and serves the Houthi sectarian project in light of the continuing structural changes that are accompanied by targeting and violations of workers in this corps. He added that the Houthi changes were not only at the level of the judiciary, but also included educational curricula that have become distorted and modified to serve the Houthi approach inspired by Iran. This confirms that this militia is continuing to eliminate all opponents of its ideas through the elements of the Houthi dynasty, who are establishing what has become known as the “Houthi Imamate” to tighten the iron grip on Yemen.

المصدر: نيوزيمن