10 August 2012
Camera assistant 'believed dead'
Unknown
Hatem Abu Yehia, a camera assistant with the pro-government television station Al-Ikhbariya, is believed dead, his employer reported on Monday, according to the SANA state news agency.
Abu Yehia was kidnapped by rebels belonging to the Free Syrian Army in the Damascus suburb of Al-Tal on Friday along with his colleagues Yara al-Saleh, an anchor for the station, Abdullah Tubara, a cameraman, and driver Hussam Imand, according to news reports.
The Al-Ikhbariya team was covering clashes in Al-Tal between rebels and security forces when they were kidnapped, news reports said. A video posted by the Free Syrian Army shows a rebel spokesperson saying Abu Yehia was killed in government shelling of Al-Tal along with two rebel fighters, The Associated Press reported. The other two Al-Ikhbariya journalists and their driver appear in the video saying they are in good health and being treated well, according to the AP.
