The United Nations human rights chief demanded an urgent and independent investigation on Saturday after a Yemeni staff member died in Houthi custody. Volker Turk said the family of Mohammed Al-Shami was only informed of the death recently, more than a month after it occurred.
Al-Shami had been held by the Iran-backed militia since June 2024. Turk described the death as utterly devastating and stated that the relatives had received no account of how or why he passed away.
We are utterly devastated by the death of our colleague Mohammad el Shami in Houthi custody in Yemen, after more than two years of arbitrary detention, Turk said in a statement. This is a heartbreaking loss. Mohammad’s family has not received any explanation of the cause or circumstances of his death. They deserve to know the truth. I demand an urgent, full, independent and thorough investigation. There must be accountability.
Turk called for full transparency from the Houthis. He demanded the release of all medical and detention records, the preservation of evidence, and independent scrutiny of any cause of death put forward by the group.
He also voiced grave concern for other UN personnel still in detention. This group includes seven staff from his own office, alongside detained humanitarian and civil society workers. He renewed his call for their immediate and unconditional release.
Until they are freed, the Houthis must guarantee their safety, humane treatment, medical care, contact with their families and UN access, Turk said. He added that no family should have to endure what the loved ones of their colleagues were now facing.
The high commissioner warned that the case raised serious questions about the safety of UN staff. He questioned whether the world body could keep operating in areas controlled by the Houthis.
By detaining our colleagues, the de facto authorities are gravely undermining our ability to support the people of Yemen during a most serious humanitarian and human rights crisis, Turk said. I urge them to change course.
Mashdal Omar, human rights minister for Yemen’s internationally recognised government, said he held the Houthis fully responsible for the abduction, disappearance, and death of Al-Shami in their custody. In a social media post, Omar called on the UN to take more decisive action to secure the release of other detained employees.
Al-Shami is the second UN staff member known to have died in Houthi custody. A Yemeni World Food Programme worker detained in January 2025 died the following month in a prison in northern Yemen. That earlier death prompted the UN to suspend its activities in Saada, a Houthi stronghold.
The Houthis have accused detained UN staff of spying for the United States and Israel. Those charges carry the death penalty in Yemen, but the United Nations has rejected the accusations. The militia currently holds 71 UN staff, and the Security Council condemned the continued detention of scores of humanitarian workers, UN personnel, and civil society representatives in June.
