Mohammad el Shami, a Yemeni staff member with the UN Human Rights Office, died while being held by Houthi authorities in Yemen, prompting the UN to demand as the UN demands an independent investigation and the release of dozens of detained personnel.

The UN said el Shami had been held since June 6, 2024. His family was told only recently that he had died more than a month earlier, according to information relayed to the UN by relatives.

UN wants records, answers and accountability

Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said el Shami’s family had not been given any explanation for how he died. He called for an urgent, independent and thorough investigation, along with access to medical and detention records and the preservation of evidence.

Türk also pressed the Houthis to allow independent scrutiny of any cause of death they put forward. The UN has said the circumstances remain unclear, and it has not publicly established when or where el Shami died.

António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, condemned the death and called for an immediate, impartial, transparent and thorough investigation, according to statements carried by the UN and by several outlets quoting his office.

A second death in detention

The UN said this was the second death of one of its staff members in Houthi custody. It followed the death of a World Food Programme colleague in February 2025.

The UN has expressed grave concern over the safety of its staff in areas controlled by the Houthis, who have held several UN, humanitarian and civil society workers for extended periods. Guterres said the continued detention of UN colleagues was unacceptable and caused immense suffering for them and their families.

As of mid-October, the UN said 71 of its personnel were in Houthi detention. Guterres’s office also said 70 UN personnel, five former staff members and other workers from humanitarian and civil society organisations remained held. The statements gave different figures for UN personnel in detention.

Pressure on the Houthis to release detainees

Türk again appealed for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained UN personnel, including seven colleagues from his own office, and said the Houthis must guarantee their safety and humane treatment until they are freed.

He warned that detaining UN staff undermined the organisation’s ability to assist Yemen during what he described as a serious humanitarian and human rights crisis. The UN aid coordination office says more than 22 million people need aid this year.

Yemen has been at war since 2014. The Houthis control parts of the country, and the internationally recognised government is based in Aden. The UN said el Shami’s death leaves unresolved both what happened to him and how to protect the staff still in Houthi custody.