Ammon News - YEMEN - The noted Yemeni journalist Mohammed Musa’ed Samaha passed away Thursday in the Jordanian Capital, Amman, after three years of struggle with disease. He was 44. Samahah’s corpse was brought back home on Friday and was laid to rest at midday Saturday in Sana’a, the Yemeni capital.

Hundreds of mourners, including fellow journalists, friends and relatives, attended his funeral, which was covered by local media. Top leaders from the Islamic-oriented Islah Party, including Mohammed Al-Yadoumi, the Party’s supreme leader, paid their last respects to the deceased, who was highly acclaimed by his colleagues as a brilliant editor.

Born in 1966 in Ibb province, Samahah moved with his family to the western port city of Hodiedah, where he received his primary and secondary education.

He started his journalism career in the early 1980s, when he worked as a Hodeida-based correspondent for the weekly Al-Sahwa newspaper, the mouthpiece of the religiously-inspired Islah party, before he moved to Sana’a to work as an editor for the same paper.

Samahah also worked as a reporter for many local and Arab newspapers. He was politically associated with the religiously-inspired Islah Party and was named editing manager of the weekly AL-Asima, one of the party’s organs.

The Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate on Saturday issued an obituary mourning Samah’s death, describing him as one of the most prominent journalists, whose writings were devoted to defending rights and freedoms and fighting corruption in all its forms.

Marwan Damaj, Secretary General of the YJS, regretted that the Syndicate was unable to offer financial assistance to Samahah and other Yemeni journalists who died after a long struggle with disease.

“Samahah was a committed journalist, who was known for following hot issues at the local and international arena, even during his sickness.

He was very keen on journalism to the extent that he didn’t stop writing even during the worst circumstances he had experienced,” Said Jamal Ana’am, chairman of the YJS’s rights and freedom committee.

“Samahah was a very popular figure, who never had frictions with anyone. Indeed, he was a real model to follow and will be remembered by his colleagues for his candid and firm stances that were free from boisterousness,” Anama added.

“ Samahah used to avoid tittle-tattles, gossiping and factionalism rampant in press circles. He was a very noted journalist in the Yemeni arena, particularly during the early 1990s when he rose to prominence,” Said Sameer Jubran, chief editor of the weekly Al-Masdar.

Samahah has bereaved ten children- seven sons and three daughters.

* The Palestine Telegraph/ by Anwar Al-Shoaybi