UN calls for inquiry into death of staff member detained in Yemen
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Bénin Web TV
Mohammad el Shami, an employee of the UN human rights office in Yemen, died after being detained by the Houthis since June 2024. High Commissioner Volker Türk has called for an independent investigation, access to medical records and the release of seven other detained UN staff, according to the UN statement.
Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has called for an urgent investigation into the death of Mohammad el Shami, an employee of the UN office in Yemen who had been detained by the Houthis since 6 June 2024. The High Commissioner’s office announced his death on Saturday 31 October, according to Bénin Web TV.
Mohammad el Shami’s family says it was informed of his death only more than a month after he died and received no explanation of its causes or circumstances, according to the UN statement. Volker Türk is calling for the medical and detention records to be disclosed, evidence to be preserved and the stated causes to be independently examined.
The High Commissioner also called for the immediate and unconditional release of other UN staff detained by the Houthis, including seven members of his office. In June 2024, the Houthis announced the arrest of people they accused of belonging to a US-Israeli espionage network, Bénin Web TV reports.
