US Embassy in Yemen Calls on Houthis to Immediately Release All UN Staff

The U.S. Embassy in Yemen issued a statement condemning the Houthis for their responsibility in the death of UN employee Mohammed Al-Shami, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained UN staff. The embassy stated that Al-Shami “was a father of three children and an employee at the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.” It detailed the inhumane conditions of his detention, noting that “the Houthis denied him any visits or even phone calls with his family throughout his captivity, prevented him from visiting his father, who was on his deathbed, and barred his relatives from attending his funeral.” The embassy added that “the Houthis concealed Al-Shami’s body for months after his death, keeping it in a morgue refrigerator in Sana’a, while spreading lies to his family that he was still alive and in good health.” On October 14, UN Spokesperson Farhan Haq stated that 71 UN staff members were still being held by the Houthis at that time. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is calling on the Houthis to ensure the safety of these detainees, treat them humanely, provide them with medical care, allow them to communicate with their families, and enable UN access to them, pending their release.