A Yemeni staffer of the UN human rights office has died in Houthi custody more than two years after his arrest, and the United Nations learned the circumstances the same way his family did: late, and without explanation. Mohammad el Shami was detained on June 6, 2024, during a wave of Houthi raids in which 13 UN staff were seized. His family say he died more than a month ago and were told only recently, with no cause of death given. The UN says the de facto authorities provided neither information on his wellbeing nor proof of life despite repeated requests.
High Commissioner Volker Turk demanded a prompt, independent and thorough investigation, disclosure of all medical and detention records, and preservation of evidence, and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all other detained UN personnel, including seven from his own office. The Secretary-General condemned the death in a separate statement and made the same demand for an impartial inquiry. It is the second death of a UN staffer in Houthi detention, after a World Food Programme colleague died in February 2025.
The remaining caseload is large: the UN put its detained personnel at 71 as of mid October, alongside five former staff and detained humanitarian and civil society workers. Yemen’s prime minister condemned the death and held the Houthis fully responsible. The Houthis, who had not commented on this death in the reporting read, have previously said those detained were part of a spy network working for the United States and Israel; that claim is their assertion, offered without published evidence, and the UN rejects the detentions as arbitrary.
Status: confirmed death and confirmed UN demands, per the UN’s own statements; cause and circumstances unestablished. Special Envoy Hans Grundberg told the Security Council on October 9 that many detainees have serious health problems, which is why the UN is treating releases as urgent rather than procedural.