UN reiterates opposition to death penalty, says it is engaging on detained personnel in Yemen; hopes US‑Iran talks reduce regional tensions

In the question‑and‑answer portion of the United Nations press briefing, reporters pressed the Spokesperson on detainees in Yemen and on reports relating to Palestinians and potential use of the death penalty in Israel.

On Yemen, a reporter asked whether there had been progress securing the release of UN personnel detained by Houthi forces. The Spokesperson said there had been no release so far and that "we continue to engage with the Houthis and others to ensure the immediate end to the unlawful detention of our national colleagues, who remain arbitrarily detained." He added that the UN has "direct discussions going on between the UN and the Houthi leaderships" and is engaging other countries in the region to help.

An online question (Anadolu) asked whether the UN could confirm reports that returned bodies of Palestinians had been mutilated or tortured and whether reports that Israeli prison services were developing procedures and training to carry out executions after a Knesset death‑penalty bill were accurate. The Spokesperson said he did not have confirmation on the bodies and would follow up after the briefing. On the question of executions, he reiterated the UN's position: "We stand firmly against the use of the death penalty anywhere."

Reporters also asked if the Secretary‑General planned to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York; the Spokesperson said he was not aware of such a visit and that the UN's focus remains on encouraging direct US‑Iran discussions that it hopes will lower regional tensions.

The exchanges recorded responses from the Spokesperson rather than new UN policy decisions; the briefing closed with a pledge to follow up on outstanding factual questions.