A/HRC/45/CRP.7 and threats to be a result of his work. He was also forced to close his organization’s office due to a series of direct attacks against his staff. The practice of summoning human rights activists critical of the military also appears to be a tactic used by the Ta‘izz Axis Command of the Yemeni Armed Forces to intimidate and harass such activists. The summons issued do not disclose the nature of the complaint or any relevant offence, and only cite Article 64, which gives the legal basis for issuing a summons. 330. The Group also documented the arbitrary arrest, in November 2019, of the head of the Yemen Red Crescent Society in Amran Governorate. He was at the airport, about to leave on a Red Cross plane en route to Geneva to participate in a conference. Coalition forces prevented him from travelling and the plane took off without him. He was arbitrarily arrested and held in the Political Security office for four hours. He was interrogated and accused of being affiliated with the Houthis. He was then transferred to the airport detention centre, one kilometre from the airport. He remained in detention for nine days, during which he was allegedly tortured. After his release, he participated virtually online in the International conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent held in Geneva. He gave a speech where he denounced his arrest and acts of torture.494 331. Women human rights defenders also continue to face repression by parties to the conflict based on their gender and/or their work on women’s and youth rights, including for instance the provision of legal support to victims of domestic violence. The Group has documented at least ten such cases committed by members of the de facto authorities, the STC and the Government of Yemen. Some women activists were told by Houthi interrogators that promoting women’s rights was against tradition. Another woman activist was threatened with having her children detained if she did not collaborate with the Houthis. Many instances of repression involved false allegations regarding the morality of the women, including allegations of a sexual nature. Such allegations attract severe stigma for women, rendering them and their families vulnerable to social exclusion, community violence and long-term harm. They also encourage the broader community to associate women human rights defenders with “immorality”. This has pressured many women more broadly to conform and curtail their public role in society. The specific targeting of women rights defenders and activists negatively impacts upon their vital role in protecting and advancing women’s rights and addressing gender inequality in Yemen. Legal findings 332. The continuation of the conflict, with its attendant breakdown of public order, has aggravated the already precarious situation of minorities, IDPs, migrants and refugees in Yemen. The Group of Experts concludes that all of these groups continue to be discriminated against in their enjoyment of rights, and face a heightened level of violations and abuse. 333. Additionally, the Group of Experts concludes that the de facto authorities, the Government of Yemen and the STC are responsible for violating the rights of journalists and human rights defenders, including women human rights defenders, their rights to liberty and physical security, as well as their freedom of expression. H. Violations related to the administration of justice Applicable law 334. International human rights law provides that all persons shall be equal before the courts and tribunals, and in either criminal proceedings or civil proceedings, that persons are entitled to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law. 495 As noted in Section D above (see paras. 165 and ff), those who are arrested or detained have specific rights including to be informed promptly of charges, to be brought promptly before a judge/judicial official, to take proceedings before a court regarding the lawfulness of the detention, and to trial within a reasonable time or release.496 Persons 494 Confidential sources on file. ICCPR, art. 14(1). 496 ICCPR, art. 9. 495 83

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