Rania Abdullah

Yemen – Local official Iftihan Al-Mashhouri, director of the Cleaning and Improvement Fund in Taiz, was killed in an assassination that shook the Yemeni street after she was targeted by heavy gunfire in the city center in September 2025, sparking widespread anger and popular and feminist demands to uncover the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

The first trial session in the assassination case of government official Iftihan Al-Mashhouri, director of the Cleaning and Improvement Fund, was held yesterday, Thursday, April 30, 2026, before the Specialized Criminal Court in the city of Taiz, southwestern Yemen – more than seven months after the crime, marking the first steps of litigation against those involved.

The session witnessed the presence of the court panel and the representative of the specialized prosecution. The session minutes were opened, and the names of the accused were called, affirming their right to appoint lawyers in accordance with legal guarantees. The prosecution also confronted the present accused with the indictment decision and the charges attributed to them.

During the session, the accused were given the opportunity to give their statements and respond to the indictment, while the court heard preliminary procedural pleas as part of the adopted legal procedures.

At the conclusion of the session, the court issued a decision to arrest and bring in the accused who are fugitives from justice, to ensure the completion of procedures and the achievement of justice. A later session date was also set to continue considering the case.

This trial comes in the context of ongoing feminist and popular mobilization in the city of Taiz, where the city witnessed protest vigils in front of the Court of Appeal organized by groups of women and the family of Iftihan Al-Mashhouri, demanding the arrest of all those involved and the acceleration of trial procedures in a public and fair manner.

Participants in those vigils affirmed that they would continue peaceful protest until justice is achieved and all perpetrators are held accountable. Feminist voices also stressed that the case of Iftihan Al-Mashhouri – who was assassinated on September 18, 2025, in the city center with more than 20 bullets – is the case of all women and all honorable people in the city of Taiz and Yemen in general.