22 July 2013

'Gay' killings in Yemen - How big is the problem?

Hashim al-Asimi, a 20-year-old Yemeni, was heading home last Monday night when two men on a motorbike approached and shot him dead.

Drive-by killings involving unlicensed motorbikes are a regular occurrence in Yemen and usually they are blamed on militants linked to al-Qaeda.

Mostly, these attacks are directed against members of the security forces but Asimi’s killing was different. According to police and witnesses, he died because he was thought to be gay. [www.al-bab.com] Read more