Yahia Badreddin al-Houthi

Yahia Badreddin al-Houthi (Arabic: يحيى بدر الدين الحوثي‎; born 1961) is the political leader of the Zaidi rebels, known as the Houthis, who are fighting against the government of Yemen. He is a brother of current Houthi leader Abdul-Malik, late Houthi leader Hussein, Muhammad, Ibrahim,[2] Abdulkhalik,[3] and Abdul-Karim.

al-Houthi cosigned a letter to the Yemeni government with Abdullah al-Ruzami, the rebels' military leader, in May 2005 offering an end to the uprising if the government would send emissaries or ended the military campaign against the rebels. "But if injustice continues with killing, destroying, and imprisonment... then the trouble will not be solved, but will become more complicated and the gap will become even wider."[4] He was a Yemeni lawmaker but was forced to go into hiding after the Yemeni government lifted his parliamentary immunity to try him for his involvement in the Houthi rebellion, he was then tried in absentia[5] On 5 February 2010, he was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. However, he did not go to jail as the Yemeni government had not captured him.[6]

When the Supreme Council for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (SCMCHA) proposed a 2 percent tax on humanitarian aid, al-Houthi spoke out against SCMHCA chairman Ahmed Hamid, calling him and the organization "illegitimate" and criticizing how they handle international aid.[7]