A well-marked date for the Yemeni court—February 16, 2008—was the date when a Saudi was sentenced to die along with an army officer from Yemen.  The Sanaa Court, which takes care of terrorism cases, was the one that handed down the sentence to the two spies.  Hamad al-Dhahouk was the Saudi soldier (who is of Yemeni descent) and Abdul Aziz al-Hatbani was the Yemeni army official. 

Dhahouk, a Saudi citizen who was revoked of his citizenship in 1995 is 50 and Hatbani who is 45 years of age were both present in the Sanaa Court when their sentence was announced.  An appeal is sure to be submitted according to the Defense lawyers.  The pair’s trial began in June of 2007 and they were being accused of handing out phony information while demanding for payment.

The prosecution pinned the pair down with the accusation that they gave out the alleged information to the Sanaa Egyptian embassy.  They also said that the two informed the embassy that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were both financing a terrorist center in Yemen which aims to do violence to tourists in Egypt.  The two also allegedly said that the Yemeni government is in full knowledge of this operation.

Dhahouk and Hatbani are not the only ones who have been condemned to die because of being spies.  Others, if lucky enough, do not get a death sentence but are thrown into prisons instead.  Still others are tortured into submission and confession.  Espionage has long been a risky profession; it is one career that needs well-trained professionals as well as the will to remain tight-lipped when caught. 

Although a risky occupation, it is a necessary part of making countries win battles in the past or allowing peace to constantly reign.  Just look at the First and Second World Wars, the Cold War, Vietnam War, and even the famous American Revolution—they have all had a spice of espionage somewhere.  Nowadays, cyber espionage can be a tool for war or it can be a prying eye to an innocent citizen.  Anyone can now be a victim.

However the case of Dhahouk and Hatbani would end, espionage will go on for as long as there are separate countries.  When the world ceases to be divided, perhaps this line of work would end.  But for now, it is a necessity in the form of wiretapping, surveillance, honeypot or investigation.  Whatever form it takes, spying, once practiced professionally, could deter terrorism and all other acts of violence.

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