Al Jazeera condemns deaths threats to Arabic Bureau Chief in Sanaa

Al Jazeera has condemned the death threats received by their Arabic Bureau Chief in Sanaa, Yemen. Saeed Thabit was threatened with “physical elimination” in an anonymous phone call.

“This threat is not the first,” Thabit commented. According to Thabit, the caller said: “Enough is enough, and soon we will execute our threat to physically eliminate you.”

The caller reportedly referred to himself as a member of Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthi movement, a Shia rebel group which gained control of Sanaa in September.

Deputy Managing Director of Al Jazeera Arabic Ahmad Bin Salem Al Yafei commented: “We all stand in solidarity with our colleague Saeed Thabit, and all his colleagues in Sanaa bureau. These continuous threats are the price of our professionalism, that our coverage is known for in Yemen. We are sure that this will not stop us from performing our duties despite the risks that follow. We hold the Yemen Government, and Houthis who control Sanaa, responsible for the safety of our colleague Saeed.”