From: Al Jazeera
COMMENT - Why do they persist in hitting wedding parties? Perhaps Dan O'Dowd can tell us.
COMMENT - Why do they persist in hitting wedding parties? Perhaps Dan O'Dowd can tell us.
Hyder Iftikhar Abbasi
Last updated: 12 Feb 2014 14:17
Yemen researcher says he received a death threat after investigating deadly wedding-convoy attack.
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| A photo of alleged victims killed in a December 12, 2013 drone strike in central Yemen [Reprieve] |
The disturbing phone call came after
Baraa Shiban investigated a drone strike on a wedding party that killed
12 people in central Yemen in December. A clear message was delivered to
the human rights researcher over the phone after a major news network reported the story based on his research.
"The caller refused to identify
himself and threatened my life if I continued my investigation of the
strike," Shiban told Al Jazeera, noting he conducted similar studies of
US drone operations in the past, but had never before received death
threats.
Shiban works for the UK-based human rights group Reprieve
and interviewed survivors two days after the attack. His investigation
ascertained that 12 people were killed after four missiles were fired at
the convoy. There were also 14 victims with severe wounds; some lost
limbs, others their eyes.
Along with the eyewitness testimony,
Shiban gained access to video and still images of the alleged victims of
the drone strike. Photos of the aftermath of drone attacks - whether in
the tribal regions of Pakistan, or in the deserts of Yemen - are rarely
captured. Most occur in obscure regions with hostile terrain, making
access difficult for journalists and activists. MORE
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