Yemeni prime minister condemns killing of UN staffer in Houthi custody, urges accountability

Yemeni Prime Minister Shaya Al-Zindani has strongly condemned the killing of United Nations staff member Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Shami, who worked at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Yemen, in Houthi militia prisons after more than two years of abduction and enforced disappearance.

In a post on X, Al-Zindani held the Houthi militia fully responsible, stressing that those responsible for these crimes must be held legally accountable and punished.

The Yemeni prime minister emphasized that this crime, along with the continued detention of more than 70 UN employees and dozens of humanitarian workers, are not isolated incidents but part of a series of violations committed by the Houthis against Yemenis and international organizations. He noted these abuses coincide with the ongoing siege of Taiz, attacks on civilians and civilian sites, military escalation, and threats to Yemen’s and regional security.

Al-Zindani added that these actions increase the responsibility of the United Nations and the international community to protect staff of international and humanitarian organizations, to press for the immediate release of all abducted and disappeared persons, to lift the siege on Taiz, to end Houthi terrorism, to safeguard the dignity and lives of Yemenis, and to respect the sovereignty and institutions of the state.

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