Houthi rebels crucify Yemeni man in public square for rape and murder of four-year-old
Houthi rebels crucify Yemeni man in public square for rape and murder of four-year-old
Yemenis gathered in the capital for the execution of a man convicted of raping and killing a child; the second such death sentence carried out in public in recent weeks.
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The killer's body was suspended from a crane after the execution [Getty]
Hundreds of Yemenis gathered in Sanaa on Monday to witness the execution of a man convicted of raping and killing a child, the Houthi rebels' news agency reported.
It was the second such public execution in rebel-held Sanaa in recent weeks, after "child killer" Muhammad al-Maghrabi was put to death by firing squad in the same city-centre square at the end of July.
It was the second such public execution in rebel-held Sanaa in recent weeks, after "child killer" Muhammad al-Maghrabi was put to death by firing squad in the same city-centre square at the end of July.
Hussein al-Saket was found guilty of abducting, raping and murdering Safa Mohammed Taher al-Mutari, a four-year-old girl, whose corpse he later buried in the desert.
Ali Ayedh, the victim's uncle, said 22-year-old Saket "took part in the search for the girl before being unmasked" during a police investigation for the missing child.
He said the public execution would act as a "deterrent for criminals".
SABA said the killer was crucified, shot dead and his body hoisted into the air by a crane for public display in Sanaa's Tahrir Square.
The news agency published a picture of the convict lying face-down in a pool of his own blood.
On 31 July, 41-year-old Maghrabi was executed in Tahrir Square after being convicted of raping and murdering a three-year-old girl. He was made to lie on a carpet before his executioner opened fire with an AK-47-style assault rifle.
Both executions have used as an example of the rebels' tough justice in areas under their control, and have drawn huge crowds, with many filming the grisly scenes on mobile phones.
SABA, which is closely aligned with the Houthi rebels who took control of Sanaa in 2014, reported that "the execution was carried out with public satisfaction and chants of justice, praising the role of the judiciary".
A Yemeni politician and cleric had previously sparked outrage in the country and beyond after he suggested girls' "skimpy clothing" led to them being attacked.
"How many young girls have been raped due to the effects their clothing has had on these human beasts?" Abdullah al-Adaini asked on Facebook.
The cleric's comments were met with widespread criticism.
The Houthis have been locked in war with Saudi-backed troops loyal to President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi for more than two years.
More than 10,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in the conflict. Some 2,000 have died from cholera since April - most of them children.
United Nations officials have described Yemen as "the largest humanitarian crisis in the world", with 10 million civilians in desperate need of life-saving aid as the country teeters on the edge of famine.
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