A correspondent for the al-Arabiya satellite television channel and her father were killed on Friday by an explosion while traveling in a car in Yemen’s southern city of Aden. The two had been on their way to a wedding in the area.
A motive for the attack has not been disclosed and a local police official told local reporters that initial investigations had indicated the car was used by security forces to transport a body.
Journalists had been under siege in the country as government forces have continued to take territory from the Houthi rebel group, the only faction of Yemeni state forces directly fighting the Saudi-led coalition. Al-Arabiya journalist Alassaf Abdeljawid had previously been subjected to harassment by security forces, and during a visit to Aden a few weeks ago a sniper shot at him. In addition, three journalists in Yemen have been killed this year, prompting concerns for press freedom in the country.
Earlier this month, the United Nations voiced “strong concern” about reports of assault on media centers in Yemen, and said it was “concerned” at reports that a newspaper had been forced to close. Despite the reported targeting of media outlets, some journalists, such as al-Arabiya’s Wafa Hachimi, had continued to do their work despite pressure from Houthi insurgents and other parties to the war.
Read the full story at The Associated Press.
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