Court removes military barracks from cities [Archives:2006/943/Front Page]
SANA'A, May 3 ) Al-Hota court ordered the General Attorney and other concerned authorities to remove military barracks and units from main cities and provincial capitals to outskirts and other areas. The court ruling stirred wide reactions in different parts of the country.
The Court that is headed by judge Ahdhib Al-Bakri turned the case from a normal case, in which Hamoud Al-Jaradi and others were accused of murder, into a another legal trend; of forming an armed band and highway robbery.
The 14 suspects are affiliates of the 39th Armored Division who were arrested following their attack to the house of lieutenant colonel Mohamed Muhsin in Beer Nasser in Sabir area in Lahj, on March 2005. Citizen Mohamed Daifallah was killed in the attack. The court condemned 11 of the accused to death, and quitted the others. The ruling included confiscating the farm, which was a subject of dispute between influential military leaders and the fifth brigade, which used to own before 1994 war. The farm is to be changed into a public park.
The court ordered the general prosecution, to probe key officials, including Minister of Defense, Lahj Governor. The regional military leader, leader of the 39th armed brigade and head of the State's land and real Estate, were also among the list. They were all to be investigated over recklessness, negligence and concealment of trespassers who collected wealth in contradiction to the law.
The court also ruled that the Ministry of defense should compensate the families of the accused when the judgment is carried out. The ministry should also pay costs of 2millions Yemeni riyals to the three others.
Lahj's Governorate prosecution appealed the judgment. It said that it is contradicting the procedure Penal law. The 13 suspects also appealed the ruling.
Observers expect that the ruling will reactivate several previous similar murder cases in all Yemeni governorates. Among these governorates are Hudieda, Aden, and Lahj in which the military barracks were involved.
The judgment brought into focus the case of military barracks in governorates. It was a case raised by political parties in their agendas. It was especially raised during the unity crisis between the socialist party and their partner in unity making, the General People's Congress in 1994.
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