ɪn noʊvˈɛmbɚ tˈuː θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪt, jˈɛmənz ɐpˈiːl kˈoːɹt ɹᵻdˈuːst ˈɛlbeɪnˌeɪz sˈɛntəns fɹʌm tˈɛn jˈɪɹz tə fˈaɪv bɪkˈʌz hiː sɚɹˈɛndɚd tʊ ɐθˈɔːɹɪɾiz.
In November 2008, Yemen's appeal court reduced Elbaneh's sentence from 10 years to 5 because he surrendered to authorities.