On February 20, 2023, a man convicted of murder was pardoned moments before he was supposed to be executed in the Marib region of central Yemen. Many locals have been sharing the story on social media as a source of inspiration and to ease the burden in a country scarred by nine years of war. Our Observer told us that the pardon was granted after a woman intervened and that her gender played an important role.
In 2016, Rabae Al-Demasi, a young man from the Bani Jabr tribe in western Marib, killed his friend Sadam during an argument. Sadam was the son of Abdullah Al-Quhati, the chief of the Murad tribe in Marib. Rabae has since been arrested and sentenced to death. His execution was scheduled for 20 February 2023.
