A report from 2013 describes the situation for LGBT citizens in Yemen. Since that time little has changed for gay people in this war-torn country where Houthi rebels have taken over the government in 2014-15. Life for homosexuals is dangerous and deadly ; virtually no one reveals his sexual preference in public. By Shuaib
At the present time Yemen is being torn apart by sectarian warfare with different factions jockeying for control with bombs and bullets. It remains to be seen who will be left standing.
Previous to the revolution/civil war the legal system included separate commercial courts and a Supreme Court based in Sana’a, the capital. Since the country is an Islamic state, the Islamic Law (Sharia) is the main source for laws. Indeed, many court cases are debated by the religious basis of the laws. For this reason, many judges are religious scholars as well as legal authorities. Homosexuality is illegal in Yemen in according to the country’s Shari’ah legal system. Punishment ranges from flogging to death. Yemen is one of only seven countries to apply a death penalty for consensual sexual acts between adults of the same sex. Abuses run rampant, especially in the areas of women’s rights, freedom of the press, torture and police brutality. Freedom of the speech, the press and religion are all restricted. Gay and lesbian websites have been blocked by the government.
Name: Yemen
Population: 22014000
Capital: San'a - Pop. 1748000
Area: 527968 sq. km/ sq. miles
Language: Arabic
Religion: Muslim: Shi'a -Zaydi ; Sunni Shafa'i
Status of Homosexuality: Illegal
Telephone Country Code: 967
Yemen Country Photos
Yemen has a land area of 555,000 square kilometers and a population of approximately 24 million (2010). Its capital and largest city is Sana’a. Yemen’s territory includes over 200 islands, the largest of which is Socotra, about 415 km to the south of mainland Yemen, off the coast of Somalia. It is the only state