An Egyptian journalist wounded in protests against the rule of President Hosni Mubarak has died of his injuries, his wife told Al Jazeera television.

Ahmed Mohammed Mahmoud, who worked with state-owned daily al-Ahram, was wounded on Jan. 29 during protests that began four days earlier against poverty, corruption and political repression. He is the first journalist known to have died in the unrest.

US President Barack Obama said on Friday the rights of journalists must be respected.

The Egyptian health minister said on Friday that 11 people have died since Wednesday when Mubarak supporters began attacking protesters in Tahrir Square in central Cairo.

The United Nations estimates 300 people have died in the protests, which shocked Arab and Western governments who have long backed Mubarak as a bulwark against Islamist groups.

Mahmoud's wife, whose name the channel did not give, said he was shot in the head while filming clashes from the balcony of his home. – Reuters