A/HRC/42/CRP.1 571. On 1 August 2018, in al-Sowaiq area, al-Tuhayat district, al-Hudaydah governorate, an anti-vehicle landmine explosion resulted in the killing of a 14-year-old boy and injury to a 17-year-old boy who were travelling by bus. They had fled with their family from alTuhayat to al-Mansouriya to protect themselves from the fighting. The landmine exploded shortly after the bus had gone through a Houthi checkpoint when the bus was still on the main road.873 After the landmine exploded, one of the Houthi members passed by without helping the victims. The injured boy had his leg amputated. Al-Hali district, details of location and date withheld due to protection concerns874 572. An anti-personnel landmine explosion killed a 23-year-old man while he was inspecting his house and farm, which had earlier been hit by an airstrike targeting Houthi weapons stored in the farm after the family left the house a few months earlier due to the fighting. On the day of the incident, the victim went to his house to collect some belongings for himself and his wife. As he arrived at the house, the victim stepped on a landmine near the front door. In a separate incident, on 4 February 2019, also in al-Hali district, three children were killed due to a landmine explosion. The three children were riding a motorcycle on their way back from the sea to their home when they struck the landmine and it exploded. Al-Durayhimi, details of location and date withheld due to protection concerns 573. Two children were killed when one of them stepped on an anti-personnel landmine. The two children were returning home after working in the field. According to local sources, the area is still infested with mines and more than 4,000 families 875 are currently living under the threat of landmine explosion. In a separate incident, (details of location and date withheld due to protection concerns), also in al-Durayhimi, a 19-year-old civilian was injured after the minibus he was travelling on with his mother hit a landmine. 876 Violations 574. Although customary international humanitarian law does not per se outlaw the use of landmines, it sets restrictions on their use. Accordingly, particular care must be taken by the parties to the conflict to minimize the indiscriminate effects of landmines.877 575. In May 2019, de facto authorities confirmed to the Group of Experts that the Houthis used anti-vehicle mines, but denied the use of anti-personnel mines, referring to their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention ratified by Yemen. 576. The Group of Experts has reasonable grounds to believe that the Houthis used antipersonnel and anti-vehicle landmines in al-Hudaydah in violation of international humanitarian law. In the way the mines were emplaced in unmarked locations frequented by civilians, with little or no warning given, the Houthis violated their obligation under international humanitarian law to minimize the indiscriminate effects of landmines. Furthermore, the use of anti-personnel mines is prohibited by the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention to which Yemen is a party, the application of which has been acknowledged by the de facto authorities. 4. Freedom of expression (a) Houthis 577. The Houthis used practices resembling a “police state” in al-Hudaydah to punish even minor dissent. Local witnesses and sources based in Houthi controlled areas who had 873 Confidential Sources on File. Location on file, withheld for protection reasons. 875 Confidential Sources on File. 876 Confidential Sources on File. 877 See ICRC Study on customary IHL, rule 81. 874 139