Yemen Houthi rebels execute 9 over senior official’s killing

By AHMED AL-HAJ and SAMY MAGDY
Associated Press

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemen’s Houthi rebels say they have executed nine people for their alleged involvement in the killing of a senior Houthi official in an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition more than three years ago. The public executions by firing squad were carried out on Saturday in the rebel-held capital, Sanaa. The executions took place despite repeated calls by rights groups and lawyers to stop the killings. They said the trial held in a rebel-controlled court where the nine were convicted and sentenced to death was flawed. The nine were among more than 60 people the Houthis accused of involvement in the targeted killing of Saleh al-Samad in April 2018.