The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today said that media in Yemen remains under siege after gunmen shot two employees of the Al Saida TV channel yesterday, killing one and injuring another. Fouad Abd El Jabbar, the channel's accountant was killed in the shooting while his colleague Mohammad Abd El Ghani Dabouane sustained serious injuries.

"We condemn this mindless violence targeting journalists and media support staff in Yemen,' said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President. "Media is facing an unrelenting siege from those who are bent on controlling information to advance their own interests."

The Yemeni Journalists' Syndicate (YJS), an IFJ affiliate, said in a statement that the two staff members came under fire from snipers as they were leaving the TV Station's building. The station had been also attacked recently and the YJS accused the attackers of targeting journalists in an attempt to intimidate independent reporting on events taking place in the country.

The IFJ supports the YJS' call for an investigation into the shooting and protection of journalists in line with the demand made by the UN Security Council last week for respect of press freedom and freedom of expression in Yemen.

This latest fatal shooting comes weeks after a senior journalist Abdulmajeed El Samawi, a deputy director of a local radio station, died on 3 October 2011 of wounds he had sustained in another gun attack on 25 September believed to have been carried out by Yemeni security forces.

The IFJ is concerned that violence sparked by anti-governments protests may be used by those who want to silence independent media in the country.

"There is open season to journalists who resist interference in their own affairs in Yemen,' added Beth Costa, IFJ General Secretary. "The recent violence on the country's streets has led to indiscriminate attacks on all those identified with courageous and professional journalism like Jabbar. But the world is watching and these criminal acts will not go unnoticed."

For more information, please contact IFJ on + 32 2 235 22 07
The IFJ represents more than 600.000 journalists in 131 countries