UN demands investigation after staffer’s death in Houthi custody in Yemen

Sun, Nov 1, 2026 4:49 AM

Mohammad el-Shami had been held since June 2024, when he and many other UN and NGO workers were accused of being spies.

The United Nations has demanded an investigation into the death of an employee in Houthi detention in Yemen.

Mohammad el-Shami, a staff member of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Yemen, died more than a month ago, but his family was only recently informed, the UN said in a statement on Saturday.

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The Houthis did not say how he died, but his family “deserve to know the truth”, said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.

The human rights chief also demanded “full transparency” from the Houthi authorities and an “urgent, independent and thorough investigation” into el-Shami’s death.

El-Shami had been arbitrarily held in Houthi custody since June 2024, when he and more than 60 people working with the UN and other NGOs were detained and accused of being part of an “American-Israeli spy network”.

“I am also gravely concerned” for the seven other OHCHR personnel who were detained alongside el-Shami and are still being held, Turk said. “I appeal again for their immediate and unconditional release.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a separate statement on Saturday that he was “appalled” by el-Shami’s death and echoed Turk’s calls for an investigation.

The UN is “urgently seeking answers” from the group about the circumstances of his death, Guterres added.

El-Shami is the second UN staff member to die in Houthi detention, following the death of a World Food Programme staffer in February 2025.

A total of 72 UN staffers and NGO workers, including el-Shami, have been detained by the Houthis.

The UN paused operations in parts of Houthi-held Yemen in February 2025 over concerns for the safety of its employees.

The rebel group has previously paraded some detainees on television channels, presenting them as collaborators with Western intelligence agencies and Israel.

On October 6, the UN announced that a World Food Programme employee had been released after being “arbitrarily detained” by the Iran-backed group.