Married at 11, Executed at 21
Reprive, the question is for how long.
Married at 11, a mother of two by 14 when she was convicted of murdering her husband and sentenced to death, raped and became pregnant in prison, death sentence postponed until the baby turns two. The execution is scheduled for next month. This is Saleh’s justice system. He is the chief executive officer.
YO
By Mohammed Al-Kibsi
Apr 30, 2005 - Vol.VIII Issue 17
SANA’A – Amina Al-Tuhaif is an inmate of Sana’a Central Prison. She was arrested November 22 1998 for the murder of her husband, Hezam Hasan Qabail. Amina was 14 years old at the time, according to her advocate.
Amina is said to have killed her husband due to the state of her mental health following her early marriage at the age of 11. At 12 she had her first menstruation, and at the time of her arrest she was pregnant with her second daughter. Legal procedures took place and Amina was sentenced to death. She still maintains her innocence.
The court of appeal upheld the original sentence, as did the Supreme Court subsequently.
According to a report sent by an Italian human rights organization to the Minister of Human Rights during her incarceration in Al-Mahweet, Amina was raped and became pregnant. She was then transferred to the Sana’a Central Prison where her pregnancy led to the postponement of her execution until her baby reached the age of 2 when the period for breastfeeding could finish.
In May 2005, Amina’s child will be two years old, and her execution will be carried out as sentenced.
Sadiq Al-Himiari, member of the Al-Mahwit General Prosecution Authority, claimed Amina was an adult when she committed the crime and that she was tried and sentenced based on this fact. He added that the attorney general, the primary court, the penal court and the high court had all verified her age before issuing the verdict.
The assistant attorney general Abdul-Momin Al-Solwi, as well as accepting her adulthood, also ruled out she had killed her husband due to mental problems resulted from her early marriage. He said the suspect had committed her crime in cooperation with a second party after her husband discovered she was cheating on him with this person who for his part also received the maximum sentence. He said: “No person under the age of 18 can be put before the court. Such persons are treated as juveniles and are tried as such according to juvenile law.”
The defending lawyer dismissed the claims of the general attorney and said that in the appeal court in Al-Mahweet nothing was discussed concerning Amina’s case and the report of the legal doctor stating her age was not taken into consideration.
The “Last Chance for Freedom” legal center is providing legal assistance to Amina, but many obstacles impede their progress. The lawyer’s access to Amina’s legal files are being illegally held by the General Deputy and the Head of Prosecution in Al-Mahweet.
The Legal Aid Center at the Italian Organization has issued a statement in which it calls for the collecting of signatures to stop the sentence being carried out. There is only one month left until Amina’s execution.
