Yemen: Houthi-controlled court confirms 5-year sentence for model

A court in Sana’a controlled by pro-Iran Houthis has confirmed a sentence of five years in prison for a female model. Her lawyer told AFP that she was being punished because of her profession.

Intisar Al-Hammadi, 21, was arrested on 20 February 2021 in Sana’a while on her way to a photoshoot with a friend. Last year, the two young women were sentenced to five years in prison on charges of “fornication”, “prostitution” and “drug abuse”. Their lawyers and NGOs described these as “false accusations and a violation of women’s freedoms.” The Court of Appeal confirmed the sentence on Sunday.

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According to lawyer Khaled Al-Kamal, his client was optimistic about the appeal and hoped that it would be positive. “She was shocked by the verdict and began to shout and cry.” The accusations, he added, are not based on any real evidence.

Al-Hammadi regularly did photoshoots for local fashion designers, often without a headscarf, and shared photos with her followers on Instagram and Facebook.

The Houthi movement has not made any official comment about the case. It has been accused of imposing “severe restrictions” on women in the areas of Yemen that it controls.

In May 2021, Amnesty International called for Intisar Al-Hammadi’s immediate release, saying that she had been subjected to ill-treatment, forced to confess to several crimes, and punished for opposing extremely patriarchal social norms.

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