Michigan - The American Center for Justice (ACJ) said it received dozens of complaints from male and female graduates of the Faculty of Sharia and Law who applied to register at the Judicial Institute in Sana'a but were excluded despite meeting all admission requirements. The center emphaisized that the Houthi-run administration of the institute, issued a decision to exclude (1,000) male and female applicants with academic qualifications and top students in the Sharia and Law faculties. Moreover, the administration completely excluded female groups without any legal reason or justification and without subjecting them to any of the differentiation stages stipulated in the legal texts.

According to the information obtained by (ACJ), the administration of the Judicial Institute in Sana'a selected (205) applicants, all males, on the basis of the recommendation of the Houthi group's supervisors in the districts. The center stressed that this exclusion constitutes a blatant violation of the objective standards the Institute has repeatedly adhered to since its founding.

The American Center for Justice notes that the decision to exclude hundreds of applicants was based on the sectarian affiliation and on considerations related to loyalty, gender, and birth. Every graduate who wishes to apply for the competition is now required to bring a recommendation signed by the supervisor of the Houthi group in his region, which clearly reflects the clear intention of the Houthi group to limit appointments to the public service to its members, with the complete exclusion of the rest of the categories.

The Houthi group’s decision is a disturbing violation of the principle of the rule of law, equality, and equal opportunities guaranteed by the Yemeni Constitution for all Yemenis, especially Article (41), which stipulates that “all citizens are equal in public rights and duties,” and Article (25), which affirms that “Yemeni society is based on justice, freedom, and equality in accordance with the law.” The ACJ highlighted that depriving women of the right to hold a position in the judiciary is a serious violation of the rights of Yemeni women guaranteed by the country’s constitution in Article 31, and the decision contradicts the CEDAW Convention, which Yemen has ratified. 

The American Center for Justice (ACJ) expresses its absolute rejection of the Houthi group in Sana’a excluding two-thirds of applicants to the Judicial Institute. It also calls on them to quickly cancel this decision, to hold a judicial competition based on the principle of equal opportunities in order to enable graduates to apply without any sectarian considerations and to respect the freedom, dignity and rights of all Yemenis without discrimination based on gender, loyalty, race or affiliation.