UN demands probe into death of its employee in Houthi custody

GENEVA - The United Nations on Oct 31 condemned the “heartbreaking” death of one of its employees in Yemen under custody of the Houthis and demanded an urgent inquiry.Mohammad al-Shami, a staff member of the UN Human Rights Office in Yemen, had been “arbitrarily held” by the Houthis since June 2024, the organisation said in a statement.It cited his family as saying he had died more than a month ago, but that his relatives had only been recently informed.The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, said in the statement that no explanation had been given for the “heartbreaking loss”.The Iran-aligned Houthis are fighting against Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia.The statement said Turk “demanded full transparency from the Houthi authorities and an urgent, independent and thorough investigation” into al-Shami’s death.It quoted Turk as saying he was also “gravely concerned for the safety and well-being of the other UN personnel who remain detained”, demanding their release.“By detaining our colleagues, the de facto authorities are gravely undermining our ability to support the people of Yemen during a most serious humanitarian and human rights crisis,” he said.“I urge them to change course.”On Oct 14, UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters in New York that 71 UN personnel were being held by the Houthis.Yemen’s Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani also condemned al-Shami’s death in a statement cited by Yemeni news agency SABA.“He stressed that the still-mysterious circumstances of his death raise serious questions about the safety of the remaining abductees,” it said.He demanded “an independent and transparent international investigation to uncover the circumstances of the death, determine responsibilities, and hold those involved to account”.Yemen slid back into war in July after four years of relative calm, amid fallout from the wider Middle East conflict, and hostilities intensified in September.Saudi Arabia has carried out air strikes against Houthi positions and the group has stepped up attacks inside Saudi territory. AFP