NOVANEWS
Ibrahim Mothana (1988-2013); ‘As surely as he will be missed, his work and his example will continue to inspire his colleagues, friends, and compatriots’
Ibrahim Mothana (10/23/1988 – 9/5/2013)Known internationally as a voice for the peaceful pro-democracy uprising in Yemen that began in 2011 and as a tireless critic of the U.S. drone campaign that has terrorized his country in recent years, Mothana was both a co-founder of the Wantan Party in Yemen and an international spokesperson for what many term the “New Yemen” envisioned by many of its citizens, especially the youth.
The cause of his death was not being reported, nor were those expressing grief discussing the circumstances.
In announcing Mothana’s passing, the Yemen Peace Project, released astatement, which read in part:
A recital of his resumé does not do Ibrahim justice, though. He was 24 years old, and as someone of that age should, he defined himself by what he hoped and planned to do, rather than what he had already done. Ibrahim was devoted to his country, and he saw in Yemen as much potential as we all saw in him. Though a harsh and realistic critic of Yemen’s flaws, Ibrahim believed in the idea of a New Yemen, which he and so many other revolutionaries struggled for. His hopefulness for his country was pragmatic; he understood better than most what it would take to build the Yemen he imagined.
For everyone who knew him, it is hard to imagine the New Yemen without Ibrahim. But just as surely as he will be missed, his work and his example will continue to inspire his colleagues, friends, and compatriots through the difficult years to come.
From Western journalists like Jeremy Scahill and Iona Craig who spent time with him in Yemen to other leading Yemen activists like Farea Al-muslimi who worked closely with him, the loss of Mothana was being expressed in heartfelt posts on Twitter:
