SANAA: A Yemeni court sentenced two rebels to death on Saturday for taking part in gunbattles against security forces last year near the capital.
Nine others got between eight and 12 years in jail, while another rebel was released after spending time in prison for the same charges. The defendants were charged with participation in an armed gang and using weapons against the authorities.
After the verdict was announced, they shouted “Death to America,” and “Death to Israel”.
When the judge asked whether they would appeal, they said they would not do so because they do not accept the legitimacy of the court or the proceedings.
In past months, the same court has sentenced 10 rebels to death for the same charges.
Those convicted on Saturday are part of a group of 190 rebels who are being tried in batches over fighting that raged in Bani Hoshaish, northeast of the capital Sanaa, between March and June 2008. Hundreds of people were killed and wounded in the clashes.
More rebels are expected to be tried over the Bani Hoshaish clashes and around 40 others for alleged involvement in the current war with the army in the north, a judicial official said.
Meanwhile, heavy fighting on Saturday between Yemeni troops and the rebels in the old quarters of the northern provincial capital of Saada killed an unspecified number of people, a military official said.
“Ferocious battles broke out in the morning in the old quarters of the city of Saada, which left people dead,” the official said, without elaborating.
The fighting began after the army launched an operation to track down dormant cells inside the old town, which is the rebel stronghold, the official said.
In separate incident in the rugged northern mountains of Yemen, another official said rebels attacked throughout the night targeting positions they had lost in past days.
“Dozens were killed when the Yemeni army was trying to keep the rebels away from positions the army has captured in the past days,” he said without providing further details.
