The United Nations human rights chief has demanded a prompt, independent and thorough investigation after a Yemeni member of his staff died in Houthi custody, more than two years after he was detained.
Mohammad el Shami, a staff member of the UN Human Rights Office in Yemen, had been held by the Houthi de facto authorities since 6 June 2024. His family said he died more than a month ago but were only informed recently, according to the UN. No explanation of the cause or circumstances of his death has been given to his family.
“I extend my deepest condolences to Mohammad’s family and loved ones,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Saturday. “This is a heartbreaking loss for the UN Human Rights Office and the wider United Nations. Mohammad’s family has not received any explanation of the cause or circumstances of his death – they deserve to know the truth.”
Türk called on the Houthis to disclose all relevant medical and detention records, preserve evidence and allow independent scrutiny of any stated cause of death. “There must be accountability for wrongdoing,” he said.
The death has renewed attention on the wider detention of UN and aid workers in areas under Houthi control. Türk said he remained gravely concerned for other UN personnel still held, including seven colleagues from his own office, as well as detained humanitarian and civil society workers, and appealed again for their immediate and unconditional release.
UN News reported that el Shami was detained during a wave of Houthi raids in June 2024 in which 13 UN staff were seized, and that, as of mid-October, 71 UN personnel were in Houthi detention. Yemen’s prime minister condemned the death, held the Houthis fully responsible and called for those responsible to be held accountable, Reuters reported.
There was no immediate comment from the Houthis on el Shami’s death, according to Reuters. The group has previously said that detained staff were part of a spy network working for the United States and Israel, and has accused humanitarian organisations of using their work as cover for intelligence activities, without providing evidence. Those claims have not been independently verified.
The Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention in 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised government. The conflict has since divided the country, with the Houthis holding Sanaa and much of the north and north-west, while government-aligned forces control much of the south and east.
Türk warned that detaining UN colleagues gravely undermined the organisation’s ability to support people in Yemen during what he described as a most serious humanitarian and human rights crisis, and urged the authorities to change course. For el Shami’s family, however, the immediate questions remain unanswered: when exactly he died, and why.
Sources: Reuters, “UN says Yemeni staff member dies in Houthi custody, demands investigation” (31 October 2026), https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-says-yemeni-staff-member-dies-houthi-custody-demands-investigation-2026-10-31/ ; UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), “Death in custody of UN Human Rights staff member in Yemen devastating – Türk demands investigation” (31 October 2026), https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/10/death-custody-un-human-rights-staff-member-yemen-devastating-turk-demands
