UN demands urgent probe after staff member dies in Houthi custody

The United Nations' human rights chief has demanded an urgent investigation into the death of a UN staff member who died after more than a year in Houthi custody in Yemen, and renewed his appeal for the immediate release of dozens of detained colleagues.

Mohammad el Shami, who worked at the UN Human Rights Office in Yemen, died after being "arbitrarily held" by the Houthis since 6 June 2024, according to a statement from the office of High Commissioner Volker Türk on Saturday. His family said he had died more than a month ago but that they had only recently been informed, Euronews reported.

Türk called the death a "heartbreaking loss" and said the family had not received "any explanation of the cause or circumstances of his death". He demanded full disclosure of medical and detention records, preservation of evidence and independent scrutiny of any stated cause of death, adding: "There must be accountability for wrongdoing."

The high commissioner said he was "gravely concerned" for other detained personnel, including seven colleagues from his own office, and appealed again for their "immediate and unconditional release". Yemeni Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani condemned the death and said the Houthis "bear full responsibility", adding that more than 70 UN staff members and dozens of humanitarian workers remain in Houthi custody.

The detentions date back to June 2024, when the Houthis announced the arrest of people they accused of belonging to a US-Israeli "spy network" in Yemen. The Iran-aligned group has since seized territory in a renewed offensive against the internationally recognised government, drawing Saudi strikes and answering with missile and drone attacks on Saudi cities and shipping. A Houthi strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International airport last month left 13 people dead and more than 300 injured, according to Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation. Wide World News has reported on the toll of the escalation inside Yemen.

For Shami's family, the wait is now for his records, an independent account of how he died and, beyond that, for news of the colleagues still held. Whether the Houthis respond to the UN's demands remains to be seen; the group has so far given no public explanation of the death.