The United Nations account
On October 31, the UN Secretary-General condemned the death of Mohammad el Shami, a Yemeni member of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). According to the UN, the Houthi de facto authorities had held him since June 6, 2024.
The UN said the authorities provided no information about his well-being or proof that he was alive despite repeated requests. The cause, time, and circumstances of his death have not been independently established in the UN’s public statement.
Who controls the detention authorities
The Houthis are an armed political movement that seized the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and continue to control much of northwestern Yemen. They are not Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is based outside Houthi-controlled Sanaa.
The years-long conflict has fractured state institutions and complicated the delivery of food, medical care, and humanitarian assistance to civilians. UN staff and local aid workers operate amid competing authorities and security risks.
Other detainees and the stakes
The Secretary-General reported continuing concern for 70 serving UN staff and five former UN employees who remain detained, as well as staff from humanitarian and civil society organizations. The UN also noted the death of a World Food Programme worker in detention in February 2025.
Houthi officials have previously claimed some detainees participated in foreign espionage networks. Those accusations do not establish guilt and have not resolved the UN’s demands for lawful process, humane treatment, and information about detainees.
Calls for investigation
The UN has called for an immediate, impartial, transparent and thorough investigation and unconditional release of personnel still being held. Responsibility for protecting a person in custody lies with the detaining authority, while a definitive finding about the cause of this death awaits evidence.
