NEW YORK: A Yemeni staff member of the UN Human Rights Office has died in Houthi detention, with his family only being informed recently, more than a month after his death, the UN’s human rights chief said on Saturday.Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, called the death of Mohammed Al-Shami “utterly devastating” and demanded an urgent, independent and thorough investigation by the Iran-backed Houthis.Al-Shami had been held by the militia since June 6, 2024. His family has received no account of how or why he died, Turk said.He added: “This is a heartbreaking loss for the UN Human Rights Office and the wider United Nations.“Mohammed’s family has not received any explanation of the cause or circumstances of his death — they deserve to know the truth.”Turk called for full transparency from the Houthis, including the release of all medical and detention records, the preservation of evidence and independent scrutiny of any cause of death the group puts forward.“There must be accountability for wrongdoing,” he said. He also voiced grave concern for the UN personnel still in detention — among them seven staff from his own office, as well as detained humanitarian and civil society workers — while renewing his call for their immediate and unconditional release.Until they are freed, the Houthis must guarantee their safety, humane treatment, medical care, contact with their families and UN access, he said.Turk added: “No family should have to endure what our colleagues’ loved ones are now facing.”He warned that the case raised questions about the safety of UN staff and whether the world body could keep operating in Houthi-controlled areas.He said: “By detaining our colleagues, the de facto authorities are gravely undermining our ability to support the people of Yemen during a most serious humanitarian and human rights crisis. I urge them to change course.” Mashdal Omar, human rights minister for Yemen's internationally recognized government, said he held the Houthis fully responsible for Al-Shami’s “abduction, disappearance, and death in their custody.” In a social media post, he called on the UN to take more decisive action to secure the release of other employees detained by the Houthis.Al-Shami is the second UN staff member known to have died in Houthi custody. A Yemeni World Food Programme worker detained in January 2025 died the following month in a prison in northern Yemen, prompting the UN to suspend its activities in Saada, a Houthi stronghold.The Houthis have accused detained UN staff of spying for the US and Israel, charges that carry the death penalty in Yemen. The UN has rejected the accusations.The militia is holding 71 UN staff, and in June the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the continued detention of scores of humanitarian workers, UN personnel and civil society representatives.