Appellate Division postpones hearing in Al-Mayahi trial, prosecution appeals ruling in his favor

Yemen

Yamanat – Sanaa

On Sunday, November 2, 2025, the appeals chamber of the Specialized Criminal Court of the Municipality of Sanaa postponed a session scheduled for the trial of journalist Muhammad Dabwan Al-Mayahi.

Lawyer Omar Ali Yassin, head of Al-Mayahi’s defense committee, said the defense team was surprised by the postponement of the session due to the absence of a member of the division.

Lawyer Yassin expressed his astonishment at the appeal of the public prosecutor against a preliminary decision made in his favor, emphasizing that the appeal of the public prosecutor has no legal meaning, because it is known – according to jurists – that the decision cannot be appealed by the one in whose favor the decision was made, because the role of the public prosecutor is to persuade the court to rule against the accused.

He added: “We, those against whom the decision was made, no longer see the use of our appeal, since Al-Mayahi is about to finish the prison term to which he was sentenced, and only four months of the sentence remain, so what about the prosecution in whose favor the decision was made?

He stressed that the prosecution’s appeal was aimed at “intimidating a defenseless writer with flawed legal tricks.”

Yemen