 Yemen's public prosecutor demanded Sunday that five Yemenis convicted of the 2002 bombing of the French super tanker Limburg be sentenced to death, at the opening of an appeal hearing here. Omar Said Hassan Jarallah, Fawzi Yahya Hababi, Mohammad Said al-Amari, Fawzi al-Wajih and fugitive Yasser Ali Salem al-Madari, who were sentenced to 10 years in jail on August 28, should be sentenced to death for "taking part in an action which led to the death of a crew member," the prosecutor's representative said. He told the court that Madari, who was tried in absentia, had "set up an armed gang with the aim of perpetrating criminal and terrorist acts that are detrimental to the interests of the state."
| Guess Madari was "Too Important To The Movement" to be captured with the cannon fodder. Who's guest house is he living in? |
The court is also looking into the appeals of 10 other Yemenis sentenced at the same time for the Limburg bombing and other attacks. One was condemned to death for killing a policeman, while the others received sentences ranging from three to 10 years for forging documents and for attacks against foreign targets. Two were also sentenced to 10 years in jail for the Limburg bombing, but the prosecution did not demand capital punishment for them at Sunday's hearing.
| Why not? Their victims got it, didn't they? |
The convicts, aged between 23 and 27, had been accused of forming an armed group to undermine security in Yemen through attacks including the bombing of the Limburg as it prepared to enter Ash-Shir port off Yemen's southeastern coast in October 2002. One Bulgarian crew member was killed and 12 other crew were wounded when an explosives-laden boat rammed the tanker and blew up. The prosecution also demanded the death sentence for another convict, Fawaz Yahya al-Rabei, who is wanted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and is believed to be the ringleader of the whole group. "There is evidence of his (Rabei's) participation in the murder of a Yemeni policeman," the prosecutor's representative said. The August 28 sentences were contested by both the defence, which said they were unjust, and the prosecution, which said they were too lenient.
"You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!"
"You got your peanut butter on my chocolate!" |
The hearing, which was suspended for about 15 minutes on Sunday when the convicts protested at the prosecution's call for harsher punishment,
"Hey! Youse can't do dat! We protest!"
"Shuddup! Bailiff! Beat him senseless!" |
will resume on November 27. |