United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Saturday demanded an independent investigation into the death of a UN staff member held by Houthi authorities in Yemen. The staffer, Mohammad el Shami, had been detained since June 6, 2024.
The UN said 71 of its personnel were held in Houthi detention as of mid-October. El Shami’s family said he died more than a month ago, but they were only told recently and received no explanation regarding the cause or circumstances of his death.
Türk called on the Houthis to disclose all medical and detention records, preserve evidence, and allow independent scrutiny of any stated cause of death. He also appealed for the immediate release of UN personnel, humanitarian staff, and civil society workers who remain detained. The UN Secretary-General’s office previously reported in June that another UN colleague had died in detention.
El Shami was reportedly detained during a series of Houthi raids in June 2024 in which 13 UN staff were seized. UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg told the Security Council on Oct. 9 that many of the detainees have serious health problems, making their release urgent.
Yemen has been at war since 2014, with Houthi separatists fighting the internationally recognized government. The relative calm that followed a 2022 UN-mediated truce has broken down, and Grundberg told the Security Council on Oct. 9 that the country had slid back into full-scale war. The UN aid coordination office said more than 22 million people in Yemen need assistance this year.