UN human rights chief seeks an independent inquiry into a staff member's death in Houthi custody

31 October 2026

Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has asked for an independent investigation into the death of Mohammad el Shami, a staff member of his office in Yemen. El Shami had been held by the Houthi de facto authorities since June of 2024, and his family say he died more than a month before they were told. Turk called on the authorities to release medical and detention records, preserve evidence and allow outside scrutiny of any stated cause of death. He said the family has had no explanation of how or why he died and that there must be accountability for wrongdoing. Seven colleagues from the same office remain in detention, and the United Nations said in mid-October that 71 of its personnel were being held. The Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, told the Security Council in October that the country had slid back into full-scale war. The UN aid coordination office puts the number of Yemenis needing assistance this year at more than 22 million.