SANAA, 12 August 2004 — A Yemeni judge charged with supporting a rebel cleric whose armed followers are battling government forces in the north of the Arab country rejected Tuesday the accusations against him as conspiracy.
Muhammad Ali Luqman, who heads a primary court in the western Haraz district, appeared in a Sanaa counter-terrorism court over his alleged support for Hussein Badruddin Al-Houthi whose supporters have been fighting the army since June 21.
In the hearing, the public prosecution presented five witnesses who testified about their knowledge over Luqman’s links with religious rituals and ceremonies held by people belonged to the Believing Youth group led by Al-Houthi.
Yemeni authorities accuse Al-Houthi of secretly creating the “Believing Youth” group and inciting against the United States and Israel through violent protests.
Al-Houthi, a former MP and a religious ideologue, is also accused of receiving financial funding from “foreign intelligence”, that he is allegedly works for.
Luqman, whose judicial immunity was stripped off by the Supreme Judicial Council on July 7, faces charges of fomenting sectarian strife, inciting people against the state and setting up a branch for the Believing Youth group.
Asked about Luqman’s connection with the underground group, one of the witnesses told the court that we heard that he was inciting young people to revolt against the regime.
Luqman, who was standing behind bars, denied the charges, saying they were untrue and part of a conspiracy against him. He told the court that he would present enough evidence and witnesses to prove his innocence.
In their argument, the defendant’s lawyers said the prosecution’s witnesses were not honest in their testimonies and that they had been in discord with the former judge. The court adjourned the trial until Aug. 15.
Meanwhile, a government panel has begun scrutinizing activities and curricula of religious education institutions and Qur’an schools as part of a major crackdown on extremism, according to a report carried by the state-run SABA news agency.
The panel, headed by the Education Ministry’s Undersecretary Muhammad Hadi Tawaf, discussed during its first meeting Tuesday reports from the provinces on status of universities and schools and their curricula, the agency said.
To coordinate its tasks, the panel formed a central committee that would collect information from across the country, it added.
The panel was set up by the Cabinet in July to monitor activities of religious and private educational institutions and Qur’an schools.
