Yemen court sentences 13 rebels to jail,1 to death
SANAA, June 9 (Reuters) - A Yemeni court sentenced 13 Zaydi Shi'ite rebels to up to 10 years in jail on Monday and another to death after convicting them of forming an armed group to attack the state and civilians.
The government launched a crackdown in Yemen's northern province of Saada last month against rebels led by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.
Fighting between the rebels, who belong to the Zaydi sect of Shi'ite Islam, and government forces, has flared intermittently in Saada since 2004. Last month 15 people were killed by a bombing outside a mosque.
Yemeni officials say government forces have made progress against the rebels but communications with the province have been severed, making it difficult to obtain independent reports.
The government has also urged journalists not to report on the details of the fighting.
Among those sentenced to jail was Abdel Karim al-Khaywani, editor of opposition newspaper al-Shura, who was found carrying images of the fighting in Saada and statements from the rebels.
Khaywani was sentenced to six years but, like all 14 of the convicts, is appealing the verdict.
Hundreds of people have been killed in four years of fighting and thousands have fled their homes.
The rebels, who want Zaydi schools and oppose the government's alliance with the United States, say they are defending their villages against government aggression.
Sunni Muslims form a majority of Yemen's 19 million population, while most of the rest are Zaydis.
One of the poorest countries outside Africa, Yemen is also grappling with a violent campaign by al Qaeda militants, dwindling oil and water resources, unemployment, corruption and a growing community of Somali refugees. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari, Writing by Lin Noueihed; Editing by Elizabeth Piper)
The government launched a crackdown in Yemen's northern province of Saada last month against rebels led by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.
Fighting between the rebels, who belong to the Zaydi sect of Shi'ite Islam, and government forces, has flared intermittently in Saada since 2004. Last month 15 people were killed by a bombing outside a mosque.
Yemeni officials say government forces have made progress against the rebels but communications with the province have been severed, making it difficult to obtain independent reports.
The government has also urged journalists not to report on the details of the fighting.
Among those sentenced to jail was Abdel Karim al-Khaywani, editor of opposition newspaper al-Shura, who was found carrying images of the fighting in Saada and statements from the rebels.
Khaywani was sentenced to six years but, like all 14 of the convicts, is appealing the verdict.
Hundreds of people have been killed in four years of fighting and thousands have fled their homes.
The rebels, who want Zaydi schools and oppose the government's alliance with the United States, say they are defending their villages against government aggression.
Sunni Muslims form a majority of Yemen's 19 million population, while most of the rest are Zaydis.
One of the poorest countries outside Africa, Yemen is also grappling with a violent campaign by al Qaeda militants, dwindling oil and water resources, unemployment, corruption and a growing community of Somali refugees. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari, Writing by Lin Noueihed; Editing by Elizabeth Piper)
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