UPDATE - UN employee dies after over 2 years in Houthi custody in Yemen: Minister

ADDS UN REACTION, REVISES DECK

By Saber Eid, Rania Abushamala and Tarek Chouiref

ISTANBUL (AA) - Yemen’s human rights minister announced Saturday the death of a UN employee after more than two years of abduction and enforced disappearance in Houthi custody.

“I condemn in the strongest terms the death of Mohammed Ibrahim al-Shami, an employee of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, whose death was announced today,” Human Rights Minister Mashdal Mohammed Omar said in a statement on US social media company X.

He said al-Shami had spent “more than two years in abduction and enforced disappearance” at the hands of the Houthis, during which his family was denied visits or contact.

“We hold the militia fully responsible for his abduction, enforced disappearance and death in its custody, while the circumstances of his death remain unknown and his body has not yet been handed over to his family,” Omar said.

The minister said the death underscored the UN’s responsibilities toward its abducted employees and exposed shortcomings in efforts to monitor their conditions and press for their release.

He criticized the continued detention for more than two years, culminating in the announcement of al-Shami’s death without his family being able to visit him or learn about his condition.

Omar urged a serious review of how the issue is being handled and called for firmer, more effective measures to secure the release of all abductees.

He also demanded that the circumstances of al-Shami’s death be established, his body be handed over to his family and those responsible be held accountable.

The Houthis did not comment on the minister’s statement.

UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk described al-Shami’s death as a “heartbreaking loss” after more than two years of arbitrary detention.

In remarks shared by the UN human rights office on X, Turk said the family had received no explanation of the cause or circumstances of his death and deserved to know the truth. He demanded an urgent, full and independent investigation and accountability.

Turk also renewed his appeal for the immediate and unconditional release of all other detained UN personnel.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.

The conflict has caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, leaving millions dependent on humanitarian assistance.