ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The UN on Saturday demanded a probe into the death of one of its employees in the custody of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, expressing worry for other staff members detained by the rebel group.

Mohammed al-Shami, a staff member of the UN Human Rights Office in Yemen, had been “arbitrarily held in Houthi custody” since June 2024, the UN said in a report.

According to his family, he had died over a month ago, but they were only recently informed, without additional details of Shami’s death.

“This is a heartbreaking loss for the UN Human Rights Office and the wider United Nations. Mohammad’s family has not received any explanation of the cause or circumstances of his death – they deserve to know the truth,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk was quoted as saying in the report.

Volker “demanded full transparency from the Houthi authorities and an urgent, independent, and thorough investigation into his death,” the UN said.

On October 14, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters in New York that 71 UN personnel were held by “Houthi de facto authorities.”

The Houthis are fighting the internationally recognized Saudi-backed government, with strikes also targeting airports, energy infrastructure, and pipelines in Saudi territory.

“The death of a UN staff member in Houthi detention places a grave moral and humanitarian responsibility upon the United Nations and the international community. It demands a shift from statements of concern and condemnation to concrete and meaningful action,” Yemen's Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani said on X.

The conflict between Riyadh and the Houthis had lain largely dormant since a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022. However, the Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for an airstrike on Sanaa International Airport in July, setting in motion a chain of events that culminated in a large-scale Houthi offensive that expanded their effective control over war-wracked Yemen.