The United Nations is seeking an investigation into the death of a Yemeni human rights staff member in Houthi custody, after relatives were notified more than a month after he died, officials said.
Mohammad el Shami had been arbitrarily detained since June 6, 2024, the Secretary-General’s spokesperson said. The spokesperson said UN appeals for information about his condition and confirmation that he was alive drew no response. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said relatives were not told how he died or what led to his death.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for an urgent, independent and thorough investigation. He urged authorities to release medical and detention records, preserve evidence and allow an independent review of any account of the death. The family, he said, “deserve to know the truth.”
In a separate statement, the Secretary-General’s spokesperson called for an “immediate, impartial, transparent and thorough investigation.”
OHCHR said seven of its colleagues remained detained, alongside workers from other UN, humanitarian and civil society organizations. The Secretary-General’s spokesperson separately cited 70 UN personnel and five former UN staff members in detention, as well as humanitarian and civil society personnel, and called for their immediate, unconditional release.
The spokesperson described El Shami’s death as the second death of a UN staff member in Houthi custody, following the death of a World Food Programme colleague in February 2025. Türk said the detentions were limiting the UN’s ability to assist people in Yemen during a serious humanitarian and human rights crisis. OHCHR said detainees must be treated humanely and receive medical care and access to their families and the UN.
