António Guterres says he is "appalled and deeply saddened" by death of UN worker held by Houthis

UN Secretary-General António Guterres responded to the death of Mohammad El Shami, a Yemeni employee of the UN Human Rights Office who, according to the UN, had been held by the Houthis since June 2024. Relatives were told only recently that he had died more than four weeks earlier and, UN rights chief Volker Türk said, had not been told why or how. Türk urged the Houthis to permit an urgent independent inquiry, provide detention and medical records, preserve evidence and ensure accountability. Guterres said another UN worker had died in Houthi custody, after a World Food Programme employee in 2025, and voiced concern for detained UN and humanitarian personnel. Seven colleagues from Türk’s office remain held, the UN said, harming its work in Houthi-controlled Yemen amid a severe humanitarian crisis and escalating fighting.