Yemen: drop death sentence charge and release baha’i prisoner of consience
Hamed bin Haydara, a Yemeni Baha’i religious prisoner of conscience Credit: The Wire
STATEMENT FROM IPPFoRB
We are gravely appalled by this outrageous verdict and deplore the death sentence handed to Hamid Bin Haydara. In joining international efforts, we firmly urge the Houthi authorities to take immediate actions to overturn this unjust verdict by releasing him, said David Anderson, MP Canada (Retired) and Chair of IPPFoRB Steering Committee.
David Anderson, MP Canada (Retired) and Chair of IPPFoRB Steering Committee
Troubling reports confirm that a Houthi-run court in Sana’a has upheld the death sentence given to Hamid Bin Haydara, a Yemeni Baha’i leader and religious prisoner of conscience.
Arbitrarily detained in 2013 at his place of work by the Houthi-run National Security Bureau, Hamid’s case gained attention for its fundamentally flawed process and heinous treatment he faced in prison.
Since 2018, Haydara has undergone 18 appeal court hearings and the latest hearing which was on March 31st, 2020 was unexpectedly brought forward by more than a week.
At a time where we all should be collectively fighting an ongoing health crisis, the Houthi authorities are serving death sentences to innocent individuals because of their belief systems, adds Anderson.
In prison, Hamid suffered brutal forms of physical torture and psychological abuse. Not only was he denied medical care on various occasions, he was also denied visitors for several months, including family and lawyers. The Baha’i International Community reports that he was also forced to sign documents while blindfolded.
After a series of trials, Hamid was sentenced to public execution in 2018 without his presence in the lower court hearing. According to USCIRF, the official charges under which he was sentenced in 2018 were ‘’allegations of being a spy for Israel, attempting to make certain locations within Yemen a homeland for the followers of Baha’i faith, offering literacy classes that followed a curriculum deemed incompatible with Islam, and attempting to convert Muslims to the Baha’i faith.’’
Baha’i institutions at risk in Yemen
Reports by the Baha’i International Community (BIC) also confirm that the same court has ordered the dissolution of all Baha’i institutions within Yemen.
The dissolution of all Baha’i institutions in Yemen needs to be seen as a larger attack on a faith system that is under persecution in many parts of the world, said Anderson.
Constituting a small portion of the Yemeni population (Yemen’s non-Muslim population comprise less than 1%), the rights of the Baha’i community in Yemen have largely remained unprotected in the face of increased attacks.
In 2018, Amnesty International reported twenty-four other members of Yemen’s Baha’i community facing charges, some of who carry the death penalty.
CONTACT
For any further information or setting up of interviews, please contact:
Liv H. Kvanvig, Director, IPPFoRB at lk@nhc.no
Palak Rao, Communications and Advocacy Advisor, IPPFoRB at pr@nhc.no or +4796652803