UN rights chief demands probe into Yemeni staffer's death in Houthi custody

The UN human rights chief has demanded an independent investigation into the death of a Yemeni staff member held by the Houthis for more than two years, whose family learned of his death weeks after it happened.

Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said Mohammad el Shami, who worked for the UN Human Rights Office in Yemen, died after being "arbitrarily held" by the Houthis since 6 June 2024. His office issued the statement on Saturday.

Shami's family said he had died more than a month earlier and that they were informed only recently, according to the statement.

Türk called the death a "heartbreaking loss" for the United Nations and said the family had received no "explanation of the cause or circumstances of his death". He asked the Houthi authorities to disclose all medical and detention records, preserve evidence and allow independent scrutiny of any stated cause of death. "There must be accountability for wrongdoing," he said.

"I am also gravely concerned for the safety and wellbeing of the other UN personnel who remain detained, including seven colleagues from my Office, as well as detained humanitarian and civil society workers," Türk said. He repeated his call for their "immediate and unconditional release".

Yemen's prime minister, Shaya al-Zindani, who heads the internationally recognised government, condemned the death and said the Houthis "bear full responsibility". He said more than 70 UN staff members and dozens of humanitarian workers were still in Houthi custody.

None of the reports carrying Türk's statement included a Houthi response to it.

The Houthis said in June 2024 that they had arrested people they accused of belonging to a US-Israeli "spy network" in Yemen. The Iran-aligned group has been fighting the internationally recognised government and, in recent months, has seized territory in a renewed offensive. Saudi Arabia has struck the group to slow its advance, and the Houthis have fired missiles and drones at Saudi cities and at shipping.

The Houthis declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia in July. A Houthi strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport last month killed 13 people and injured more than 300, according to Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation.