UN staffer’s death in custody exposes Houthi ‘political extortion’ in Yemen

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. He had been arbitrarily detained by the rebel group, which controls much of northern Yemen, since June 2024.

His death has highlighted the number of UN and NGO workers targeted by the Houthis, since they captured the capital Sanaa in September 2014.

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.

“This is a heartbreaking loss for the UN Human Rights Office and the wider United Nations. Mohammad’s family has not received any explanation of the cause or circumstances of his death – they deserve to know the truth,” said Turk.

“This requires disclosure of all relevant medical and detention records, preservation of evidence and independent scrutiny of any stated cause of death. There must be accountability for wrongdoing.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also expressed his dismay and demanded the immediate release of all detained personnel.

“I am appalled & deeply saddened by the death of a @UN colleague, Mohammad el Shami, while in the custody of the Houthi de facto authorities in Yemen,” Guterres stated.

“I remain gravely concerned for the safety & wellbeing of the UN personnel, former UN staff & personnel from humanitarian & civil society organisations who remain detained. I reiterate my call for their immediate & unconditional release.”

The Houthis have repeatedly accused detained workers of being spies.

The Houthis accused more than 60 UN and NGO workers detained in 2024, when el-Shami was arrested, of being part of an “American-Israeli spy network”.

The group has routinely arrested civil rights activists, NGO workers and other civilians on espionage allegations.

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 el-Shami’s abduction, forced disappearance and death.

“The continued abduction of [civil rights workers] for more than two years, culminating in the announcement of the death of one of them without enabling his family to visit him or know his condition, dictates a serious review of the way this file is handled,” he said.

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, outlined the systematic obstacles faced by NGO workers operating in Houthi-controlled territories in Yemen.

“The group is the one that controls prisons, medical records and witnesses, in addition to the fact that there is no judicial or human rights oversight over places of detention,” he told Al Jazeera.

“This delay by this group and the withholding of information may reflect a systematic pattern or behaviour by this group, at least in order perhaps to hide some features or make it difficult to conduct an examination.”

He said that the deaths of many Yemenis in Houthi custody have been put down to disease, sudden death or suicide.

The Houthi authorities remain fully accountable for any deaths in custody, regardless of the exact cause, Alhamidi added.

“Even if illness is proven, the question remains: Did the detainee also receive medical care, or is there negligence or is there deprivation?”