Yemen holds Iran-backed Houthi militias responsible for death of UN official in detention

Yemen's Human Rights Ministry has held Iran-backed Houthi militias accountable for the death of UN official Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Shami, who was abducted and held captive by the group for over two years. Al-Shami, a staff member of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, was reportedly killed after being forcibly disappeared and held in detention.

His family was not allowed to visit or communicate with him during his captivity. The announcement of his death came today, over two years after he was abducted. The Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights stated that the circumstances of his death remain unknown, and his body has yet to be returned to his family. The Human Rights Minister, Mushdal Omar, emphasized that the prolonged detention and subsequent death of UN staff members require a thorough review of the situation and calls for decisive action to secure the release of all detainees, clarify the cause of Al-Shami's death, and ensure his body is returned to his family. He stressed the need to hold those responsible for the tragedy accountable.