A Yemeni journalist was shot dead on Tuesday while reporting on clashes in the city of Taiz. Ahmed al-Shaibani, who worked for the Yaman News website and state-run Yemen TV, was running for cover when gunmen opened up.
A graphic video made by the Yemen Shabab TV channel, and released on YouTube, showed al-Shaibani falling to the ground with a fatal gunshot wound.
It is unclear who was responsible although colleagues believe the shots came from Houthi fighters trying to take the city from forces loyal to Yemen’s former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Photographer Ahmed al-Basha told the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) that he was among a number of journalists, including al-Shaibani, who were reporting on the shelling of a plastics factory by pro-Houthi forces.
Al-Basha, who works for Agence France-Presse, said he believed Houthi snipers purposefully targeted journalists. He also came under fire while crossing the street.
“The direct targeting of journalists and other civilians has sadly become the norm in many conflict zones, but rarely is it so clearly documented as in the killing of Ahmed al-Shaibani,” said Jason Stern, a CPJ research associate.
Al-Shaibani’s most recent reports for Yaman News documented the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Taiz.
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