UN Staffer Dies in Houthi Custody After More Than Two Years of Detention, Guterres and Türk Demand Investigation

Mohammad el Shami, a Yemeni staff member of the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) in Yemen, died in Houthi custody after being held since June 6, 2024. His family says he died more than a month ago and was informed only recently. The UN made the news public in statements late Saturday, Oct. 31.

The Houthi authorities have not said how he died.

What the UN is demanding

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called the death a "heartbreaking loss" and said the family has received no explanation of the cause or circumstances. "They deserve to know the truth," he said.

Türk asked for an urgent, independent and thorough investigation. That means disclosure of all medical and detention records, preservation of evidence, and independent scrutiny of any cause of death the Houthis offer. "There must be accountability for wrongdoing," he said.

Secretary-General António Guterres said he was "appalled" and that the circumstances "remain unclear." His spokesperson's statement said the Houthi de facto authorities provided neither information about el Shami's well-being nor proof of life in all the time since his detention, despite repeated UN requests. The UN is "urgently seeking answers," Guterres said.

Second UN death in Houthi detention

El Shami is the second UN staff member known to have died in Houthi detention. A World Food Programme employee died in February 2025.

He was held in the wave of raids in June 2024. The Houthis said at the time that those arrested belonged to a "spy network" run by the United States and Israel. The group has paraded some detainees on television as collaborators with Western intelligence. It has also said arrested UN staff would be tried over alleged Israeli links.

The UN rejects that framing. Türk said in March that "under no circumstances can UN personnel be detained, much less charged with crimes, for undertaking their vital work on behalf of the Yemeni people."

How many are still held

The UN said that as of mid-October, 71 of its personnel were in Houthi detention. Guterres' latest statement cites 70 UN personnel, five former UN staff members, and workers from humanitarian and civil society groups. Türk said seven of those held are colleagues from his own office.

Yemeni Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani said more than 70 UN staff and dozens of humanitarian workers remain in custody. He said the Houthis "bear full responsibility" for the death.

WFP Executive Director Luke Lindberg told Fox News Digital that 37 WFP employees are held in Yemen, many for nearly two years. He said all are Yemenis hired locally and none are American. Lindberg said he raised the detentions with U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz within three days of taking the job.

On Oct. 6, the UN announced that one WFP employee had been released after being "arbitrarily detained." No other release has been announced.

A war that is spreading

The detentions are unfolding as Yemen's fighting escalates. UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg told the Security Council on Oct. 9 that the country had "slid back into full-scale war, with hostilities spreading across multiple frontlines." The relative calm that followed the 2022 UN-mediated truce has broken down.

The Iran-aligned Houthis have launched a renewed offensive in recent months and seized territory from the internationally recognized government. Saudi Arabia has struck the group. The Houthis have answered with missiles and drones at Saudi cities and shipping, and declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia in July.

Last month a Houthi strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh left 13 people dead and more than 300 injured, according to Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation.

Egypt's parliament has approved military support for Saudi Arabia. Members of the European Parliament have called for the Houthis to be added to the EU terrorist list.

The aid cost

Grundberg told the Security Council that many detainees have serious health problems. Türk said the detentions are "gravely undermining" the UN's ability to support Yemenis. OCHA, the UN aid coordination office, says more than 22 million people need aid this year. The UN paused operations in parts of Houthi-held Yemen in February 2025 over staff safety concerns.

Türk has asked the Houthis to guarantee the safety and humane treatment of everyone still held. He also asked for medical care, family contact and UN access to the detainees.

It is unclear whether the Houthis will grant any of it. They have not responded to the demand for medical and detention records, or said when and how el Shami died. Until they do, the UN has no independent account of his death and no access to the people still in custody.