Exclusive | Free Media Center
“On November 9, 2021, while I was accompanying my wife, journalist Rasha Al-Harazi, in Aden Governorate, our car exploded after an explosive device was planted underneath it,” recalls journalist Mahmoud Al-Atmi, remembering the day he lost his wife and their unborn child.
Rasha Al-Harazi, who was on the verge of giving birth, was on her way to a hospital in the temporary capital, Aden, controlled by the internationally recognized government. She had no idea that this journey would be her last. On the way, the explosive device planted under her husband’s car detonated, killing her instantly and scattering the remains of the fetus with those of its mother due to the force of the explosion. Mahmoud Al-Atmi was severely injured and was subsequently admitted to the intensive care unit.
Leaving Hodeidah: The Beginning of the Pursuit
Al-Atmi had been working with a group of journalists in Hodeidah Governorate, western Yemen. When the Houthis stormed the governorate, they attempted to recruit some journalists to work for them. When they failed, they launched a widespread arrest campaign. Some journalists managed to leave the city, including Mahmoud Al-Atmi and his wife, Rasha Al-Harazi.
Rasha, who had worked with several local and international organizations and was a journalist for “Manasati 30,” and Mahmoud, who collaborated with Al Arabiya and Al Hadath channels, did not know that their departure from Hodeidah was not the end of the danger, but rather the beginning of a pursuit.
Evidence and Documents Reveal the Perpetrators
According to testimonies obtained by the Free Media Center for Investigative Journalism, the Houthi group “Ansar Allah” is behind the targeting of Al-Atmi and Al-Harazi. The documented testimonies include the names of prominent Houthi leaders, among them:
Ammar Al-Qadmi (one of the most important military leaders of the Houthis on the western coast before being assigned to lead the reserve forces in Al-Jawf)
Riyad Baladi (an officer in the Houthi military intelligence in Hodeidah)
Abu Alaa Al-Amisi (director of the security and intelligence apparatus in Hodeidah)
Abu Zaid Al-Muayyad (security officer in Hodeidah)
One journalist previously detained by the Houthis, whose identity we are withholding for security reasons, revealed that during his interrogation in October 2018, Houthi investigators repeatedly asked him about Mahmoud Al-Atmi’s address, Rasha Al-Harazi’s residence, and the whereabouts of other journalists from Hodeidah.
On one occasion, Ammar Al-Qadmi came to the detention center and told him, “I bring you good news, we have reached them, and every one of them will be arrested and eliminated.” He added with a direct threat: “We will arrest Rasha, and you will see what we will do to her.”
Three days later, one of the interrogators asked the detainee about the charity bakery run by Ghadeer Tira and Rasha Al-Harazi, and who supported it.
The same witness, while still in prison, received another message: “We bring you news of the Daesh supporter Mahmoud and the Daesh supporter Rasha.” He did not understand the meaning of the message until he later learned of their deaths in the car explosion. The scene was brutal.
Escape of the Suspects and the Absence of Justice
Official investigations revealed clear evidence that the Houthi group was behind the targeting of Rasha and her husband, Mahmoud. Although some suspects were identified, they managed to flee from areas controlled by the internationally recognized government to Houthi-controlled areas under mysterious circumstances, details of which have not been disclosed to this day.
The Voice of Truth Will Not Be Silenced
Rasha Al-Harazi was not just a journalist; she was a voice that conveyed the truth. Her presence was a threat to those who sought to manipulate information and hide violations. But she paid with her life for this, in a country where journalists have become direct targets of repression and physical elimination.
**Previously Unpublished Details About the Assassination of Journalist Rasha Al-Harazi in This Report:** (Attached Report: We attach here the Hodeidah report titled “Pursued to Death”
| This report is part of the “For the Truth” project series, implemented by the Free Media Center for Investigative Journalism in partnership with the DT Institute.