1 of 1 Undated image of Intisar alHamadi — Photo: Reproduction Facebook/Via AFP Undated image of Intisar alHamadi — Photo: Reproduction Facebook/Via AFP
A Yemeni court sentenced a 21yearold model to five years in prison for “indecency”, “prostitution” and “drug use”; According to the model’s lawyer and several NGOs, all the allegations are false and violate the woman’s rights.
Intisar alHamadi, 21, was arrested in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on February 20, 2021 while going to a photo shoot with a friend.
The sentencing took place on Monday in the zone controlled by ultraconservative Houthi rebels.
In 2022, the two women were sentenced to five years in prison in the first instance.
On Sunday, the secondinstance court upheld the firstinstance convictions of the two women, said lawyer Khaled alKamal, who will appeal to the Supreme Court.
The model’s reaction
Intisar alHamadi “was optimistic and believed that the decision would be favorable for them. When she heard the verdict, she was touched and soon started crying and screaming,” the attorney said. For him, his client was convicted solely because of her profession.
The model posed for local stylists, often without covering her hair. She posted the pictures on Instagram and Facebook where she has thousands of followers.
The Houthi rebels, which are close to Iran, have not publicly commented on the case. The Houthies are at war with Yemen’s progovernment forces (backed by Saudi Arabia). They have managed to control part of the country and in these regions they impose a strict code on women.