UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations calls on the Houthis in Yemen to release all UN personnel they have detained, and to provide information on them, a UN spokesman said on Thursday.
"All arbitrarily detained UN personnel must be released, especially those requiring critical medical treatment," said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "We absolutely need access to them in detention, so we can also assess their medical conditions."
Dujarric urged the Houthis to immediately provide verifiable information on where the detainees are being held and their health. He also said the Houthis must ensure regular contact with their families and access to the necessary medical care, including specialized treatment.
The circumstances surrounding the death of UN staffer Mohammad el Shami in Houthi detention raise serious concerns about possible ill-treatment, including the failure to disclose reliable information about his fate and his well-being, the spokesman told a regular briefing.
El Shami's body was released last week. His family said that while he died about a month earlier, they were only recently notified of his death.
"The UN once again calls for a prompt, independent, impartial and transparent investigation to establish the date, the cause and the circumstances of Mr. el Shami's death, including the conditions of his detention, and whether he received adequate or even timely medical care, and why his family and the United Nations were not promptly informed of his death," said Dujarric. "The investigation must also identify those responsible to ensure they are held to account."
He said el Shami is the second UN staffer to die while being detained by the Houthis, raising grave concerns about the safety and well-being of all held and other humanitarian personnel who are being detained in a similar situation, particularly those with serious medical conditions.
El Shami was reportedly detained during a wave of Houthi raids in June 2024 in which 13 UN staff were seized.
Dujarric said that the Houthi authorities bear responsibility for the safety and well-being of all UN and other humanitarian personnel detained. Under international human rights law, persons deprived of their liberty must be treated humanely and always afforded adequate medical care and protection.
"Once again, they must release all of them immediately and unconditionally; this includes not only our own staff, but personnel of humanitarian missions, diplomatic missions and civil society," he said.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said civilians in Yemen continue to flee violence across several governorates, with nearly 135,000 people displaced within Taiz governorate.
The United Nations reiterated its call for the protection of civilians and for safe, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access, particularly to displaced people and communities increasingly affected by ongoing hostilities. ■
