45 journalists killed in Yemen since fighting erupted in 2015: Journalist group

By Anadolu staff

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - Forty-five journalists have been killed in Yemen since the fighting erupted between the internationally-recognized Yemeni government and the Houthi group in 2015, a journalists group said Friday.

The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate on World Press Freedom Day said 165 press platforms stopped working and 200 local and Arab news websites have been blocked since 2015.

The Syndicate, however, did not accuse any party of being behind attacks and violations against journalists.

It urged all parties to stop violations against journalists and freedom of journalism in the country.

Yemen remains divided into three zones of influence -- the legitimate government supported by Saudi Arabia, the Houthis backed by Iran and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) supported by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since military intervention by the Saudi-led Arab coalition in March 2015 following the Houthi's seizure of the capital, Sanaa.

For the past two years, Yemen has seen a state of truce and a halt in fighting between warring parties, yet, the situation remains unstable across the country.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar