Press Release: Condemns Killing of TV Director Musab Al-Hatami

The Media Freedoms Observatory in Yemen strongly condemns the killing of Yemeni cameraman and TV director Musab Abdulhafiz Al-Hatami, who was targeted by a Houthi drone strike on April 26, 2025, in Marib. Al-Hatami was on assignment documenting frontline events when the attack occurred, resulting in his death and injuring his brother, photographer Suhaib Al-Hatami.

Musab, a documentary filmmaker who had recently returned from the Netherlands, was working to shed light on Yemen’s ongoing conflict. His death highlights the escalating dangers faced by journalists in Yemen, where 54 journalists and media workers have been killed while carrying out their duties under extremely hazardous conditions.

Over the past decade, the Observatory has recorded more than 2,600 violations against journalists in Yemen, including killings, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and physical assaults, often without accountability.

The Media Freedoms Observatory calls on the UN and international human rights organizations to ensure justice for Musab and other fallen journalists. It urges immediate action to pressure the Houthi group to end its systematic repression of independent media and to protect journalists working in conflict zones.

The Media Freedoms Observatory in Yemen renews its call for all journalists and photographers working in conflict zones and unsafe areas to exercise extreme caution and to be properly equipped with safety gear such as helmets and protective vests to safeguard their lives in these hazardous conditions.

We at the Media Freedoms Observatory reaffirm our full and ongoing commitment to monitoring and documenting violations against journalists, and we strive to work alongside our international partners to secure the rights of journalists in Yemen and to provide them with a safer working environment. Journalism is not a crime. Protecting journalists must be a global priority.