The United Nations on Saturday condemned the "heartbreaking" death of one of its employees in Yemen under custody of the Houthis and demanded an 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 organization 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 statement said Turk "demanded full transparency from the Houthis and an urgent, independent and thorough investigation into his 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. The Houthis "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 October 14, UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters in New York that 71 UN personnel were being held by the Houthis.
