Death sentence for Yemen 'rebel'

A court in Yemen has sentenced one man to death and jailed 13 others for forming an armed group.

Defendants were convicted of having links with Shia rebels, who have been involved in fighting with the security forces in north Yemen.

The man sentenced to death has been named as Jafar al-Murhabi, but no reason has been given for the much tougher sentence he received.

The other defendants received jail terms of up to 10 years.

The defendants were convicted of charges relating to plots to attack Yemeni troop transporters and government buildings, and contaminate water supplies to military bases.

Some were also found guilty of killing two security officials who died chasing "criminals", court papers said.

Journalist jailed

One of those jailed was journalist Abdulkarim al-Khaywani.

Khaywani, who was jailed for six years, was editor of a weekly newspaper al-Shura.

Yemen's union of journalists condemned the sentence.

"The court sentence against Khaywani is harsh. We reject and condemn it, and it should be revoked," said the head of the union, Nasr Taha Mostapha.

Amnesty International, the human rights group, also condemned the jailing of Khaywani.

The sentence comes just days before an event in London at which he is in line to win a human rights media award.

Yemen's north-western province of Saada, up against the border with Saudi Arabia, has seen sporadic fighting between government troops and Zaidi Shia rebels.

Fighting resumed earlier this year, six months after the government and rebels had agreed a ceasefire.

Hundreds of people have been killed since the rebellion broke out in 2004.