SANAA, Yemen: The Yemeni journalists' union, rights groups, and family members are demanding an inquiry into the mysterious death of a top investigative journalist after an autopsy showed that he was poisoned.

On Dec. 20, 35-year-old Mohammed al-Absi, whose work explored the corrupt relations between powerful militias and prominent businessmen, died after having dinner with friends.

His sudden death prompted his family and friends to demand an autopsy, delaying his funeral for nearly three weeks. Samples were flown to Jordan for tests, which finally revealed on Sunday that al-Absi died of poisoning.

In a joint statement, advocates called upon the state prosecution to start a "transparent investigation" saying that al-Absi played an "exceptional role against corruption."