The death of Mohammad el-Shami in detention adds to the danger facing humanitarian workers and the UN’s ability to reach more than 22 million people who need aid in Yemen this year.
El-Shami died while held by the Houthis, who gave his family no account of the cause or circumstances of his death.
El-Shami, a Yemeni staff member of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Yemen, was detained from 6 June 2024 during a wave of Houthi raids. More than 60 people working with the UN and other non-governmental organisations were detained that month and accused of belonging to an 'American-Israeli spy network'.
He remained in Houthi custody until his death. His family learned of it more than a month after he died.
Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, announced el-Shami’s death and demanded 'full transparency' from the Houthi authorities. He also called for an 'urgent, independent and thorough investigation'. Turk urged the Houthis to release all other detained UN personnel immediately, disclose medical and detention records, preserve evidence and permit independent examination of any stated cause of death.
Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, said he was 'appalled' by el-Shami’s death.
El-Shami is the second UN staff member to die in Houthi detention. A World Food Programme staffer died in custody in February 2025, and the UN paused operations in parts of Houthi-held Yemen that month because of concerns for employee safety.
Seven other OHCHR personnel detained alongside el-Shami remain in custody. As of mid-October, the Houthis were holding a total of 71 UN staffers and NGO workers.
On 6 October, the UN said a World Food Programme employee had been released after being 'arbitrarily detained' by the Iran-backed group. Hans Grundberg, the UN special envoy, told the Security Council on 9 October that many detainees had serious health problems.
Yemen has been at war since 2014, although a UN-mediated truce occurred in 2022. Yemen’s prime minister condemned el-Shami’s death and held the Houthis accountable for the continued detentions.
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