Penal court postpones case of accused espionage

Two defendants accused of espionage in the court room.

The Yemeni Penal Court, presided over by Judge Husein Alwan, decided to postpone the current session until next Saturday, due to a request by the defense for additional preparation time. The current trial is attempting to establish whether or not the suspects, Abdulaziz al-Hatabani and Hamad Ali al-Dahok, had illegal contact with foreign countries to reveal state secrets.

Lawyer Fahd Taha presented the defense of his clients, denying the charges and all allegations, citing article 100 of the legal code. “The prosecution has no case as it cannot use one suspect’s statement against the other; therefore this case must be settled in our favor,” Mr. Taha said.

He stated that the security members in charge of the investigation should have presented the photos and records of both suspects and those they had allegedly communicated with, adding that no incriminating evidence had been submitted to the court. He insisted that his clients were neither caught in a foreign embassy nor in contact with foreign diplomats. 

“How did the security authorities know of the memo that my clients apparently submitted to the foreign embassy, which accused Yemen of training terrorist cells to carry out subversive attacks in a foreign country?” Mr. Taha wondered.

In response, the prosecution stated that what Mr. Taha had to say was nothing new, that it had been presented in previous sessions, and they had subsequently refuted all the arguments. They went on to say that they feel confident with the case that they have presented to the court.

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