YEMEN. SIX EXECUTED FOR MURDER AND BANDITRY

July 29, 2007: six men sentenced to death in Yemen for murder and banditry were executed in the central prison in the capital Sanaa, a judicial source said.
The six were executed by firing squad in the presence of relatives. They were part of a group of 42 people tried for "banditry and murder of more than 16 people" in Ibb province, 190km south of Sanaa.
A state security court handling the case since 2002 condemned 11 members of the gang to death and gave the others prison sentences ranging from 15 to 20 years. The rulings were upheld by an appeal court, but the Supreme Court confirmed the death penalty for only six defendants convicted of the "premeditated murder of nine people." The Supreme Court put off a decision on the five others condemned to death. Yemen's penal code is based on Sharia law. (Sources: Independent Online, 29/07/2007)