UN Human Rights Staffer Dies in Houthi Custody, Prompting Call for Investigation
Mohammad el-Shami, a staff member of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Yemen, died in Houthi detention more than a month ago, and his family has only recently been informed, Al Jazeera reported.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has demanded full transparency from the Houthi authorities and an urgent, independent and thorough investigation into the death. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was appalled by the death and supported calls for an inquiry.
The Houthis, who control parts of Yemen, have held el-Shami since June 2024. He was among those seized in a wave of Houthi raids that month in which 13 UN staff were taken, according to UN News. OHCHR states that he had been held arbitrarily since 6 June 2024.
In June 2024 the Houthis announced that they had arrested an "American-Israeli spy cell," Reuters reported. El-Shami and more than 60 other people working with the UN and other non-governmental organisations were detained around that time and accused of being part of an American-Israeli spy network.
Seven other OHCHR personnel detained alongside him were still being held as of November 1, 2026. In total, 72 UN staff and NGO workers, including el-Shami, have been detained by the Houthis.
El-Shami is the second UN staff member to die in Houthi detention. The first was a World Food Programme employee, who died in February 2025. That same month, the UN paused operations in parts of Houthi-held Yemen over concerns for the safety of its employees.
Some detainees have been freed. On October 6, the UN announced that a World Food Programme employee had been released after being arbitrarily detained by the Houthis.
