Yemen: Journalists’ union leader survives a shooting in capital Sana’a
Mohammed Shubaita injured and his cousin killed in attack
The NUJ has joined condemnation of the shooting of the Secretary General of the Yemeni Journalists' Syndicate (YJS) and Assistant Secretary General of the Federation of Arab Journalists (FAJ), Mohammed Shubaita.
On 7 May an armed individual stopped the car where Shubaita, his cousin and another relative were travelling near the Ministry of Information in the capital Sana’a and opened fire towards the union leader. Shubaita was shot and injured and tragically his cousin was also shot and died.
A statement from the YJS reported that Shubaita received two gunshots in the leg and one in the abdomen. The union leader was subsequently transferred to the hospital, where he is being treated.
The NUJ joins the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate the YJS in condemning the attack, sends its condolences to Shubaita for his loss and urges the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the crime.
The YJS is closely following the developments and will provide more information when available.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: “The authorities must immediately open an investigation to clarify the circumstances of the heinous attack against our colleague Mohammed Shubaita and his relatives.
Our thoughts are with his family and friends in these difficult times, and we convey our best wishes for our colleague’s recovery. Yemen is a hostile country for journalists, where their safety is jeopardised, and the investigation must take into account Shubaita’s role as a journalist and union leader”.