Law of Yemen

Yemeni law is a mixed system combining Islamic sharia, customary tribal law and civil law influences, a plurality that reflects a history of overlapping political entities, each with its own constitutional, religious and customary foundations, shaped further by Ottoman rule, British colonialism and the separate governance of North and South Yemen before their unification in 1990. The 1990 constitution declares sharia the source of all legislation, and the judiciary is organized around the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, which serves as the apex court, and the Prosecutor General, with a Supreme Judicial Council, controlled by the executive, managing judicial appointments and removals. Sources of law include sharia, chiefly of a form shaped by Egyptian legal influence and Napoleonic Code traditions, alongside tribal custom, and the system enforcement has become increasingly fragmented since the civil war began in 2015.