Mohammed Al-Shami: 29 Months of Enforced Disappearance in Houthi Custody End in Death Under Torture

In yet another crime added to the dark record of violations and atrocities committed inside the secret prisons and detention facilities operated by the terrorist Houthi militia, **Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced Disappearance** reveals extremely serious information concerning the death of Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Shami, an abducted staff member of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Yemen, as a result of torture inside a secret prison operated by the Houthi Security and Intelligence Service, located north of the capital, Sana’a, a photograph of which is attached.

Mohammed Al-Shami, aged 29, had been held in detention and subjected to enforced disappearance since his abduction on June 6, 2024. Throughout this prolonged period, he was deprived of his most basic human and legal rights. According to information obtained by Irada Organization from its confidential sources, he was subjected to severe forms of physical and psychological torture, as well as inhuman and degrading treatment, until his health deteriorated severely, ultimately resulting in his death inside the detention facility.

In the darkness of enforced disappearance, inside the Houthi Security and Intelligence prison located north of Sana’a, south of the Shamlan area, Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Shami remained detained for 29 months following his abduction on June 6, 2024. He endured immense suffering and pain as the torture inflicted upon him intensified, with no one to rescue him from his prison torturers.

The criminal torturer from Qa’ Al-Qaydi, the henchmen from Sahar in Sa’ada, the interrogators from Qa’ Al-Buniyah, and another interrogator from Al-Haymah subjected him to various forms of torture and cruel treatment. The terrorist Al-Ra’ini was no less brutal than the others!

Throughout those long months, no one heard his voice except his fellow detainees, who shared his suffering. His family, however, heard nothing from him.

Mohammed Al-Shami was not merely an abductee held behind bars. He was a human being deprived of his life and fundamental rights, while his family was robbed of years of their lives and their right to know his fate.

During his detention, his family was unable to communicate with him or obtain any reassurance that he was still alive. His father passed away without ever having the opportunity to see his son again.

Mohammed himself died without seeing his three children, his mother, or his wife, who had continued waiting for his return.

When he entered detention, his youngest child was still an infant in his first year of life. After years of waiting, Mohammed emerged as a lifeless body. By then, the infant had grown into a child who could walk and speak, while his father had been denied the opportunity to see him or hold him in his arms.

This is an appalling human tragedy and a crime that must neither be subject to any statute of limitations nor be brushed aside through a brief announcement of death or a mere statement of condemnation.

Irada Organization raises the following critical issues concerning his death:

First: Concealment of the Death and Manipulation of the Victim’s Fate

Irada Organization confirms, based on information it has obtained, that Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Shami died inside the detention facility on Friday, August 21, 2026, several months before the terrorist Houthi militia announced his death on October 31, 2026

The interval between the actual date of death and its public announcement raises serious questions about the reasons for concealing his death, the circumstances surrounding it, and whether the announcement was deliberately delayed to prevent the case from being raised during the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2026!

Irada Organization stresses that the body must not be handed over for burial or buried before undergoing an independent forensic examination and autopsy, with the participation of forensic specialists from the Yemeni government side and an impartial international body based outside Yemen. Such measures are essential to preserving the integrity of the evidence, documenting any potential signs of torture, and establishing the actual cause of death.

Second: Al-Shami Is Not the First Victim

The death of Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Shami is not an isolated incident. Rather, it forms part of a series of deaths and violations affecting humanitarian and United Nations personnel in areas controlled by the terrorist Houthi militia.

Based on available information, Irada Organization identifies several victims whose deaths were associated with detention conditions, security threats, or other violations:

1. Hisham Al-Hakimi: An employee of Save the Children and Head of Safety and Security for the organization in Yemen, who died under torture on October 26, 2023.

2. Ahmed Abdulkhaleq Baalawi: An employee of the World Food Programme (WFP), who served as an Information Technology Officer and died under torture on February 10, 2025.

3. Abdullah Ahmed Shamsan Al-Akhali: An engineer and Information Technology Officer with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), who died on October 8, 2025, amid concerns relating to Houthi security threats and his detention. The circumstances surrounding his death require an independent investigation to establish the facts.

4.Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Shami:A Finance and Administration Officer at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Yemen. Irada Organization confirms that he died under torture on August 21, 2026, but his death was not announced until October 31, 2026.

The recurrence of such incidents demands urgent international action, not only to protect United Nations and humanitarian personnel but also to save the lives of thousands of abductees and forcibly disappeared persons who remain at risk inside detention facilities.

Third: Houthi Enforced Disappearance Prisons Constitute a System of Violations — Human Slaughterhouses, Not Places of Detention

Mohammed Al-Shami is one of thousands of abductees and forcibly disappeared persons whose voices have been silenced inside prisons and detention facilities operated by the terrorist Houthi militia in Shamlan, Al-Wahda, Sarf, Qa’ Al-Qaydi, Bayt Baws, Al-Tahrir, Old Sana’a, and other secret detention locations.

The continued denial of detainees’ rights to communicate with their families, receive visits, access legal counsel, and obtain medical care, combined with the absence of independent oversight of detention facilities, places their lives in grave danger and creates an environment conducive to impunity and the continuation of torture, even to the point of death

International silence in the face of these crimes cannot be allowed to continue. Nor must immunity be allowed to serve as a shield for perpetrators of torture and enforced disappearance, enabling the international community to turn a blind eye to their crimes and allowing them to evade accountability.

In light of the foregoing, Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced Disappearance makes the following demands:

1. The United Nations Secretary-Generalmust intervene urgently to establish the circumstances surrounding Mohammed Al-Shami’s death and ensure that evidence is neither concealed nor destroyed and that his body is not tampered with.

2. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) must launch an urgent, independent investigation into the death of its staff member and compel the terrorist Houthi militia to disclose the full details of his arrest, torture, and death.

3. The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen must place Al-Shami’s case, along with the broader issue of abductees and forcibly disappeared persons, among the priorities of United Nations action.

4. The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, the Committee against Torture, and all other relevant United Nations mechanisms must document this crime and take action to establish the fate and whereabouts of all forcibly disappeared persons.

5. Al-Shami’s body must undergo an independent forensic autopsy and examination conducted by an impartial medical committee, with all evidence and biological samples preserved in accordance with international standards.

6. International sanctions must be imposed, and legal proceedings must be initiated to prosecute as war criminals all security leaders affiliated with the terrorist Houthi militia who are implicated in the system of detention, torture, and enforced disappearance, foremost among them:

– Abdulhakim Hashem Ali Al-Khaywani, who unlawfully assumes the rank of Major General and serves as Head of the Houthi Security and Intelligence Service.

– Mutlaq Amer Al-Marani, who unlawfully assumes the rank of Brigadier General and serves as Deputy Head of the Houthi Security and Intelligence Service and the official responsible for matters concerning international organizations.

– Abdulqader Al-Murtada, the official responsible for the prisoners’ file and Head of the Investigation Department at Hadda Prison.

Irada Organization further demands that all prison directors, interrogators, guards, and torturers who participated in torturing Al-Shami to death be identified, prosecuted, and held accountable under international law, without exempting any official, regardless of position or rank.

The Organization also demands the immediate disclosure of the fate and whereabouts of all forcibly disappeared persons, the release of all arbitrarily detained individuals, and access for independent human rights organizations to all detention facilities, including secret detention sites, whose locations must be disclosed.

Fifth: We Possess Information About the Perpetrators and Will Not Abandon Efforts to Bring Them to Justice

Irada Organization confirms that it possesses information concerning the identities and roles of several prison directors, interrogators, guards, and torturers implicated in violations committed against Mohammed Al-Shami and other abductees.

The Organization stands ready to submit this information and supporting evidence to the relevant international authorities whenever the United Nations demonstrates genuine commitment to investigating these crimes, pursuing the perpetrators, and ensuring accountability, while guaranteeing the protection of witnesses, confidential sources, and the integrity of the evidence.

We, at Irada Organization, are not calling for yet another passing statement of condemnation, nor for the familiar expressions of concern and denunciation that the international community has become accustomed to issuing after every crime.

We demand independent investigations, tangible and deterrent sanctions, genuine legal prosecutions, and concrete measures to stop the machinery of torture and protect the lives of those who remain behind bars.

The death of Mohammed Al-Shami must not become merely another number added to the records of victims, nor another case closed on the basis of an announcement issued by the very party accused of committing the violations.

Mohammed was deprived of the opportunity to see his children. His father was denied the chance to bid him farewell. His family was deprived of the right to know his fate throughout his detention.

Who will give his children their father back? Who will restore to his father the opportunity to say goodbye? And who will hold accountable those who robbed Mohammed of his life and his right to liberty?

The same questions apply to the hundreds of abductees who have died under torture inside the Houthis’ secret detention facilities.

Justice for Mohammed Al-Shami begins with uncovering the truth, conducting an independent forensic examination of his body, and holding those responsible for his torture and death accountable. It cannot be fully achieved until the entire system of enforced disappearance, torture, and impunity operated by the terrorist Houthi militia is brought to an end.

Justice for the victims. Freedom for the abductees. Accountability for everyone who committed or covered up acts of torture.

Issued by:Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced Disappearance

Sunday, November 1, 2026