By Mohamed al-Samei
SANAA (AA) – A Houthi-run court in Sanaa on Tuesday sentenced 31 Yemenis to death on alleged espionage charges, according to a human rights activist.
"The court sentenced 31 detainees to death," Tawfik al-Humaidi, the head of the Geneva-based SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties, told Anadolu Agency.
He said the court acquitted five other people of the charges.
Academics and unionists were reportedly among the people condemned by the court to death.
The Houthis accuse the defendants of spying for the Saudi-led coalition, which has been pounding positions of the rebel group since 2015.
Al-Humaidi said his rights group has documented "serious violations" during the trial of the defendants.
"The verdicts are invalid because they were issued by a court that has no legal jurisdiction," he said.
There was no comment from the Houthi group on the activist's claims.
Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.