e) On 2 May in Donetsk an armed group abducted an activist and aide. He was unlawfully detained, beaten and interrogated for three days. He was released on 5 May; f) On 3 May, pro-unity activists were unlawfully detained, beaten and interrogated in Luhansk. They were released on 4 May; g) On 4 May, a group of armed men abducted six residents of Novogrodovka in Donetsk region, including town councillors and trade union members. They were severely beaten and tortured while unlawfully detained in the occupied building of the Regional State Administration in Donetsk and some of them were released on 5 May. Detentions and cases of alleged enforced disappearances 103. The HRMMU has received credible reports of the detention and transfer to Kyiv by the Security Service of Ukraine of a number of persons. At times between their detention and confirmation of whereabouts, a number of these individuals had been held in conditions amounting to enforced disappearance. Examples of such cases are: a) On 26 April, an activist from the Artyomivsk self-defence unit, was reportedly detained by the Ukrainian military and transported by helicopter to Kramatorsk. He was interrogated and released on 27 April after one day of enforced disappearance. The HRMMU interviewed the activist in the Artyomivsk hospital where he has been undergoing medical treatment for injuries sustained while in detention. According to him, Ukrainian special military units (allegedly “Alfa”) searched him at a checkpoint, which had been operated by an armed group. He was reportedly unarmed. His membership card from the Ukrainian branch of the Don Cossacks organization was found. He was beaten, blindfolded and taken to Kramatorsk where he was interrogated about his alleged connections to the Russian Federation. The local police in Artyomivsk registered the case. No criminal investigation has been opened, as he has refused to file an official complaint for fear of retaliation; b) An activist of the “Donetsk People’s Republic” was detained on 3 April by the Security Service of Ukraine and transferred to the Security Service of Ukraine pre-trial detention center in Kyiv. He has since been charged under article 294 (Civil unrest), and article 341 (Illegal occupation of government or public buildings and installations) of the Criminal Code. His relatives were not informed about his detention and transfer to the SBU in Kyiv for some time - HRMMU is verifying the timeframe. The National Preventive Mechanism has confirmed to the HRMMU that his state of health is satisfactory and he receives legal aid. 104. Pavel Gubarev, self-proclaimed “People’s Governor” of Donetsk region, was arrested on 6 March by the Security Service of Ukraine. According to his lawyer, the manner in which his detention took place presented a number of violations of the requirements of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. However, the HRMMU also received information according to which this would not be the case. B. Freedom of expression 53 | P a g e