UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the killing of Yemeni employee Mohammed Al-Shami at the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, while he was held by the Houthi militia in Yemen.
According to UN News, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric said in a press statement yesterday Saturday: that the circumstances surrounding this terrible tragedy remain unclear, pointing out that the Houthis, since his arrest, have not provided any information about his health or proof of life despite repeated requests from the United Nations.
Dujarric noted that the organization is urgently seeking answers from the Houthi militia regarding the circumstances of his death, calling for an immediate, fair, transparent, and comprehensive investigation.
In this context, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for an urgent, independent, and comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of the incident, pointing out that this requires disclosing all relevant medical and detention records, preserving evidence, and independent verification of any stated cause of death.
Türk expressed deep concern about the safety of other UN personnel still in detention, including 7 of his office staff, as well as humanitarian workers and civil society members, calling for their immediate and unconditional release, emphasizing the need to ensure the Houthi militia guarantees their safety, humane treatment, and provision of healthcare.
The UN employee Mohammed Al-Shami died more than a month ago, but his family was only recently informed, after he was arbitrarily detained by the Houthis since June 6, 2024, marking the second death of a UN employee in Houthi militia prisons after the death of a colleague from the World Food Programme in February 2025.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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