A/HRC/45/CRP.7 already associated with the Houthis who encouraged students to “go to the frontlines”, compulsory courses on sectarian ideology, cancelling regular courses for ideological activities, requiring students to recite the Houthi slogan: “God is Great, death to the US, death to Israel, curse the Jews, and victory for Islam,” and, in some instances, military training of child recruits in school yards.430 These practices were amplified to wider audiences on social media, e.g., by sharing photos and calling for more recruits on Facebook and in mass WhatsApp messages.431 The strategy was effective, as eight teachers and MOE officials from five governorates interviewed by the Group tallied 49 boys and nine girls recruited, despite educators’ efforts to keep schools neutral.432 Attacks on educators 288. The Group found that the Houthis reinforced this strategy by targeting educators who opposed such activities in schools. The Group received accounts of 55 educators subjected to threats, attacks, unlawful dismissal, financial and administrative sanctions and forced displacement following threats. The Group verified two cases of detention and ill-treatment of a school principal and another principal’s 14-year-old son, and received reports of 26 other educators detained and subjected to violence as a result of their refusal to recruit students.433 289. Multiple sources reported that Houthi supervisors and/or Mobilisation Committees convened at a governorate level, working strategically with local and governorate-level MOE officials, to pressure school principals and teachers to include ideological and child recruitment propaganda in schools in Sana’a, Rayma, Dhamar, Sa’ada, Amran, Hajjah and Ta‘izz.434 Initially, this came in the form of offering financial and political rewards to educators who agreed.435 Among those who refused, the Group identified a practice that started with “soft” verbal threats made in person and by phone or text from Houthi supervisors. Such intimidation then grew into explicit verbal ultimatums and threats to dismiss, prevent re-hiring or detain the educator.436 Even when the threats were not acted on, they created a culture of fear and silence among educators.437 290. Faced with educators’ continued resistance, threats escalated to arbitrary dismissal and financial or administrative punishment of educators who maintained independence from or openly resisted directives from Supervisors, volunteer school principals or MOE officials to indoctrinate and/or help to recruit students. The Group documented threats against 12 teachers,438 six arbitrary dismissals439 and four cases in which teachers’ salaries were cut due to such resistance.440 Allegations were also received of mass arbitrary dismissal of over 100 teachers in Rayma Governorate in 2016 and removal of over 700 educators from national civil service rolls for alleged disloyalty or refusal to implement such directives.441 291. Educators who fled their homes under threat did so in secret and, in some cases, were publicly named on Houthi TV and YouTube channels as “traitors” or “wanted”.442 When rewards, threats, arbitrary dismissal, financial/administrative punishments and forced displacement did not silence educators’ opposition, there was, as documented by the Group, an escalation to physical violence against educators.443 Violence was always linked to the 430 Confidential sources on file. Confidential source on file. 432 Confidential sources on file. 433 Confidential sources on file. 434 Confidential sources on file. 435 Confidential sources on file. 436 Confidential sources on file. 437 Confidential sources on file. 438 Confidential sources on file. 439 Confidential sources on file. 440 Confidential sources on file. 441 Confidential source and documents on file. 442 Confidential sources on file. 443 Confidential sources on file. 431 74

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