Capital punishment expected for murderer of Sayoun judge

The defendant Salem Mubarak al-Abidi

The Primary Penal Court, presided over by Judge Mohsen Alwan is expected to issue its verdict in the murder of the Sayoun appeals court judge, who was killed last week by Salem Mubarak al-Abidi. 

The suspect confessed the details of his crime before the court, saying that he took the pistol from his car and hid it under his coat sleeve. He added that he crossed the first and second gates, went into the judge’s office and shot him in the head. 

The suspect went on to say that after the shooting, the court guards ran away. As he left, he gave the pistol to his son, who was shouting at him “Why did you kill?”

The suspect admitted that all information provided by the prosecution was true. The prosecution read the statement and presented witnesses, whose statements corroborated those of the accused.

Following the witness hearings, investigator Tariq presented the report from the Sayoun Appeals Court arrest warrant. He said:  

“I went to the office of the Head of the Appeals Department. I found Judge Mohammed on his chair, bleeding from the right side of his face, because of a bullet which passed through the right eye. The blood coming from the right eye made a circle of about 45 centimeters in diameter. There were no signs that he was alive when I came into the room. There was no breath or pulse. I found glasses with a broken frame near the blood stain. His scarf was stained with blood, and he was still holding the pen in his hand.

Security forces captured both the murderer Salem Mubarak al-Abidi, and the gun used in the killing. The gun was loaded with six bullets, and an empty cartridge was found in the judge’s office. The prosecution showed the murder weapon- a Russian made pistol, numbered 1156, which is the same pistol mentioned in the investigation. A belt containing 12 bullets was also presented.

The judge asked the suspect about the pistol. He answered that the pistol is his, and added that it was the same pistol used in the judge’s shooting. He also told the court that the belt is his, adding that “this the red eyed,” an expression which means that this is the instrument which took revenge for the accused.

Regarding the motivation for the crime, lawyer Abdullah al-Olaibi, who volunteered to defend the suspect, said that the judge stopped the suspect from working on the land which the primary court ruled was his. He demanded the court take into consideration motivations behind the murder, because the suspect believes that the deceased judge deprived him of sustenance for his children and his wealth when he stopped him from working the land.
 
In response to the judge’s question about his demands, the suspect said, “al-Malami and Mohammed Fadhil withdrew the distribution of the inheritance file and faked it.”

The court adjourned for 15 minutes, and the prosecution submitted their final statement, demanding that punishment be in accordance with Islamic sharia. The prosecution team consisted of the following lawyers; Sámi Ahmed Jawas, Ahmed Salem Habis and Ahmed Abdullah Hashwan, who reiterated their demands for Islamic punishment at the crime scene in Sayoun. Judge Mohsen Alwan has assigned Tuesday’s session in court for the issuance of the final verdict.

Yemen Observer met the dead judge’s son Naïf Mohammed Saeed, who said that they demanded the suspect’s trial be quick, and that he should be executed at the court’s gate.

The Observer also met Sheikh Abdulkader Hussein Ba Abad, who said that this is the first crime of its kind to take place in Hadramout, and that this represented a crime against judge Mohammed Saeed, the judiciary and the whole country. He added that he hopes that a quick decision be taken, and for the execution to be in Sayoun. The deceased judge’s other son Faozy said, “We demand the fast settlement of the case and demand the death and crucifixion of the murderer in front of the court,” adding that it is atrocious that a judge should be murdered in his office. 

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