AL-MUKALLA: The family of slain UN worker Mohammed Al-Shami has accused the Iran-backed Houthis of failing to honor a promise to investigate his death.
The family has appealed to the international community to pressure the group to establish the circumstances of his death and release his body for burial.
On Oct. 31, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk announced that Al-Shami, a Yemeni colleague, had died in Houthi custody and called for an immediate investigation.
In a statement published by the Yemeni news website Al-Masdar Online and shared on social media on Wednesday, Al-Shami’s family said the Houthis — referred to as the “leadership in Sanaa” — had previously told them that a committee had been formed to investigate his death.
The family said it was told to wait two days for further information about how the investigation would proceed.
“Our family has welcomed this response and the directive to form an investigative committee,” the family said in the statement, adding that the circumstances surrounding Al-Shami’s death remain shrouded in mystery.
“To this day, his family does not know the cause of his death or when it occurred, having been denied any contact with him for 29 months.”
The Houthis abducted Al-Shami in June 2024.
