GENEVA (The Thursday Times) — The UN’s human rights chief, Volker Türk, on Friday demanded that the Houthis immediately return the body of a Yemeni staff member of his office who died in their custody, and warned that another detained UN worker may have been coerced into a filmed “confession”.
Mohammad el-Shami, a Yemeni employee of the UN Human Rights Office, had been held by the Houthis since June 6, 2024. His family learned of his death on October 30, more than a month after it happened, and has had no explanation of its cause or circumstances, the UN said.
“Our colleague must be laid to rest in a dignified manner, in accordance with the wishes of his family, which was denied contact with him for two years while he was in detention,” the UN human rights office said.
Türk called on the Houthi authorities to give the exact date, cause, and circumstances of el-Shami’s death, and to ensure that those responsible are held to account.
Fears over a filmed ‘confession’
The office also condemned videos the Houthis circulated this week showing another of its detained employees making “confessions”, which it said were clearly coerced. Its spokesperson, Ravina Shamdasani, said the footage exposed him to vilification and put him at greater risk.
“We fear gravely that he and others in Houthi custody have been subjected to torture or other ill-treatment to make such statements,” she said.
More than 70 UN staff and dozens of humanitarian workers remain in Houthi detention, according to the UN. Türk repeated his call for their immediate and unconditional release and, until then, for the Houthis to disclose where each detainee is held, allow regular family contact, and provide medical care.
El-Shami is the second UN staff member to die in Houthi detention, after a World Food Programme employee in February 2025, according to reports. A Yemeni government minister has alleged that he was tortured to death, a claim that could not be independently verified.
There was no immediate comment from the Houthis, who have accused detained UN and aid workers of spying for the United States and Israel, a charge the UN rejects. El-Shami’s family said earlier this week that the group had agreed in principle to an investigation.
Pressure on the Houthis
The demand comes as pressure on the group grows. The UN Security Council this week renewed sanctions on the Houthis, with Pakistan calling for an immediate end to their attacks on Saudi Arabia, and the Arab Parliament has launched a plan to have them listed as a terrorist organisation.
The Thursday Times first reported el-Shami’s death in custody on November 2.
