The mother of a four-year-old girl who was raped, murdered and buried under a floor has told how she is “happy” after her daughter’s killer was shot dead in a public execution.
Amal al-Matari spoke out over the “spectacular way” that Hussein al-Saket was punished after he was convicted for the attack in al-Rakab near the Yemini capital of Sana’a.
Al-Saket was marched by police into Sana's Tahrir Square where an officer shoved him onto the ground and shot him as crowds looked on.
The police later strung his body up on a crane “as a reminder for all to see”, footage of which was shared online.
Amal told how al-Saket snatched her daughter Safaa while she was giving birth to Safaa’s youngest brother Saleh in November 2015 in the small village where the family live.
The family and neighbours later formed a search party of six people - which included the killer - to find the missing girl.
Safaa's body was later found in an abandoned house which the group entered after spotting a shovel outside. The child's remains were found buried under the third floor of the derelict property.
Amal said: “I am very happy that the killer has been executed.
“I felt so relieved even after it had taken all this time – one year and eight months ago.
“I am more than happy and content now that justice has been done. I know my innocent daughter Safaa will now rest in peace and in heaven.”
The public execution of al-Saket in Sanaa is the second such public killing there in less than a month. It is seen as a display of power by the Houthis, the Shiite rebel group that has been in control of the Yemen capital since the 2014 military coup.
