Journalists are under fire from all factions in the Yemen conflict. Rasha Abdullah al-Hazari, nine months pregnant, recently died in a bomb attack, her husband barely survived. Without legal protection, many simply flee.

It happened on Tuesday morning, two weeks ago. The journalists Rasha Abdullah al-Hazari and her husband Mahmud al-Utmi were about to drive to a hospital in Aden for a check-up on Rasha's pregnancy.

But when the couple got into their car, a car bomb exploded. Rasha died on the spot, along with her unborn baby. Her heavily injured husband was taken to the hospital. He survived.

"Rasha was such a lovely young woman, only in her mid-twenties. I never thought she could become a victim of an attack," says Asma A., a good friend of the couple. Asma A. is a fellow journalist who does not want to see her real name published for security reasons.

Before the car bomb, Mahmud al-Utmi used to freelance for the Emirati television station Al-Ain. Unconfirmed sources say that he had also worked for Saudi media outlets in which he had reported critically on the Huthis. More specifically, he is said to have documented alleged human rights abuses.

The couple had already left Sanaa out of concern for his safety and had moved to Aden. Acquaintances and observers assume the attack was actually aimed at him.

"I still cannot fathom that Rasha was killed in such a brutal way. She only occasionally worked as a photojournalist or accompanied her husband for reports," Asma A. remembers in tears.

Mahmud al-Utmi is now caring for his firstborn son Jawad, who was with his grandparents at the time of the attack.

Threats from every faction
Yemeni journalists have been reporting on the collapse of their country since President Ali Abdullah Saleh was overthrown in the wake of the Arab uprisings in 2012.

 For the past seven years, a civil war has been raging in Yemen, which is fueled by foreign powers.
A coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been supporting the country's government since 2015.

However, Saudi Arabia's arch enemy Iran has been backing the opposing Huthi rebels, who now control large parts of the country — including the actual capital, Sanaa.

The majority of Yemeni government officials have moved to neighboring Saudi Arabia.

Aden, which is around 400 kilometers (248 miles) south of Sanaa, however, has been administered by separatists as part of a so-called Southern Transitional Council since 2020.

This United Arab Emirates-backed body has repeatedly clashed with the government over control of the south.

In turn, Aden has been targeted ever since the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansur Hadi settled there after the Huthis drove it out of Sanaa.

In addition, terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda or "Islamic State" (IS) seek to expand their influence amid the chaos.

"Yemen's journalists are targeted by all political factions," says Asma A., adding "if you take a clear political stance in your reporting, you may as well expect to be killed or arrested."
'Barely any protection for journalists'

"Journalists are often perceived as part of a conflict party rather than as civilian observers," Christopher Resch, press officer for Reporters Without Borders (RoG) in Berlin, told DW on the phone. "As a result, they experience barely any protection."
Yemen currently ranks 169 out of 180 on RoG's press freedom rankings.

According to RoG, at least four journalists have been killed in 2021: Three of them have died in an attack on a convoy of cars belonging to the governor of Aden on October 10; Rasha was the fourth.

Moreover, numerous journalists are currently in detention.

According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 19 journalists have been killed in Yemen since 2014.