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The United Nations is demanding a thorough investigation into the death of a human rights employee while in Houthi detention in Yemen. Mohammad el-Shami, who worked for the UN Human Rights Office, died more than a month ago but his family was only recently notified after being arbitrarily detained by the rebel group since June 2024.
Calls for Transparency and Accountability
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has urged the Houthi authorities in Sanaa to ensure a prompt, transparent, and independent investigation into el-Shami’s death. Turk stated that the family deserves to know the truth and called for the disclosure of all relevant medical and detention records, the preservation of evidence, and independent scrutiny.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also expressed his dismay and demanded the immediate release of all detained personnel. Guterres reiterated his call for the immediate and unconditional release of remaining UN personnel, former staff, and humanitarian and civil society workers currently held in detention.
Espionage Allegations and Mass Detentions
The Houthis have repeatedly accused detained workers of being spies, having accused more than 60 UN and NGO workers detained in 2024 of being part of an American-Israeli spy network. As of February this year, 73 UN staff and dozens of other humanitarian workers were in detention, according to Amnesty International. El-Shami is the second UN staff member to die in Houthi custody, following the death of a World Food Programme employee in February 2025.
The Minister of Human Rights for Yemen’s internationally recognised government, Meshdal Mohammed, held the militia fully responsible for the abduction, forced disappearance, and death of el-Shami. He stated that the ongoing abduction of civil rights workers for over two years requires a serious review of how the file is handled.
Systematic Obstacles in Houthi-Controlled Territories
Local human rights advocates highlight the severe difficulty of achieving accountability for deaths and other civil rights abuses by the Houthis. Tawfik Alhamidi, President of SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties, told Al Jazeera that the group controls prisons, medical records, and witnesses without judicial or human rights oversight.
Alhamidi noted that withholding information may reflect a systematic pattern to hide features or complicate examinations, as many deaths in custody are often attributed to disease, sudden death, or suicide. He added that the Houthi authorities remain fully accountable for any deaths in custody regardless of the cause, noting that questions of medical neglect or deprivation persist even if illness is proven.
