The following is a guest post by George Sadek, a foreign law specialist at the Law Library of Congress covering laws of Arabic-speaking countries and Islamic law. George has previously blogged about a variety of topics, including the New Multinational Report on the Acquisition of Citizenship through International Adoption, FALQs: Qatar’s New Counterterrorism Law, and FALQs: Saudi Arabia Imposes Enhanced Penalties on Violators of Hajj Regulations.
Please join us on January 30, 2025, at 2 p.m. EST for our next foreign, comparative, and international law webinar, “Yemen: The Judiciary and Governing Bodies in Houthi-Controlled Areas.” This webinar is the latest installment in the Law Library’s Foreign and Comparative Law Webinar Series.
This webinar focuses on the Houthi rebel group (known as “Houthis“), which is a Shi’i non-state actor dominating northern Yemen. The group took its name from the Houthi tribe located in the north of Yemen.
Over the past months, media outlets have frequently mentioned the Houthi rebel group in their news reports. For instance, it was reported that in February 2024, the United States government classified the Houthi group as a terrorist organization because of the group’s constant attacks against ships in the Red Sea, disrupting international trade routes. Also, the Houthi group reportedly keeps firing ballistic missiles at the state of Israel and attacking U.S. military assets. Furthermore, in June 2024, the group abducted 11 United Nations Aid workers and accused them of being spies for Western countries. In July 2024, the U.S. Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on leaders of the Houthi group due to its ongoing attacks on ships.
The Houthi group seized power by marching to the Yemeni capital of Sanaa in January 2015. After overthrowing the central government of Yemen, the Houthi group was able to control the capital and the northern part of the country. The Houthi rebel group uses its own judicial, governing, and legislative bodies to exert control over areas that they have seized by force from the central government.
The Houthi group issued the 2015 Constitutional Declaration to abolish the Yemeni House of Representatives (parliament) and created their own legislative body. The Houthi group also abolished the position of the president and created what is known as “the Supreme Political Council.” Moreover, the Houthis promoted and supported their own parallel court system and called it “Customary Law Tribunals” or “tribal courts.” Lastly, they allowed people who did not have a law degree to work as judges.
Governing bodies of the Houthi group have issued regulations separating men and women in schools, academic institutions, and public places. They also required women to comply with specific dress codes, prevented them from owning cell phones, and prohibited them from working in the private and public sectors. In addition, the Houthi group has prosecuted members of the LGBTQ+ community. After charging nine men with homosexuality, a Houthi-controlled criminal court sentenced the nine men to death by stoning and crucifixion. Lastly, Houthis violated Yemeni law by allowing child marriages and recruitment of children to their militia.
The webinar provides a closer look at how the judicial, legislative, and governing bodies work in areas controlled by the Houthi group. It offers a brief background about the Houthi rebels, and how they seized control of the northern part of Yemen. It also highlights the functions of the legislative branch created by the Houthi group. Similarly, the webinar describes how customary law tribunals, or “tribal courts,” work in the Houthi group’s areas of control. Furthermore, the webinar discusses amendments to the law on the judiciary made by the Houthi group to eliminate the independence of the judicial authority. The webinar sheds light on challenges facing the ordinary court system and its judges in the Houthi areas of control.
Additionally, the webinar talks about the functions of “the specialized criminal court” and the military court system controlled by the Houthi group. Moreover, the webinar explains how the Houthi group uses its governing and judicial bodies to target the LGBTQ+ community. Lastly, the webinar covers regulations issued by Houthi governing bodies that infringe on civil liabilities and discriminate against women.
Visit the Legal Research Institute to learn about other upcoming classes on domestic and foreign law topics. Please request ADA accommodations at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or [email protected].
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