SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni Shiite rebel officials say a prominent journalist who was sentenced to death over accusations of collaborating with a Saudi-led coalition battling the group has been pardoned.

Officials said on Saturday that the pardon of journalist Yehia al-Gebeihy, jailed since September 2016, was ordered the day before and his release will be finalized within days pending legal procedures.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

Rights groups had condemned his death sentence and called for a fair trial.

Meanwhile, two journalists, Abed al-Mahziri and Kamel al-Khozani, were also released after their arrest last week for criticizing the rebels' rule.

The Saudi-led coalition has been fighting Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, since March 2015 to reinstate an internationally-recognized government.