A/HRC/42/CRP.1 Al-Jazeera international news agency. In early 2018, the United Arab Emirates reportedly forced the Government to deny Al-Jazeera permission to work in Yemen.403 In addition, during 2018 and continuing into 2019, United Arab Emirates and Security Belt forces have used threats and intimidation to prevent other journalists in Aden, many of whom were critical of United Arab Emirates and Security Belt detention practices, from covering the fighting in al-Hudaydah by restricting the journalists’ access in areas under their control.404 287. Between May 2018 and June 2019, seven separate activists and journalists who documented and publicised United Arab Emirates detention violations, or who publicly criticised the United Arab Emirates and Southern Transitional Council, were arbitrarily detained and in some cases tortured.405 On 10 June 2019, Salem Awad al-Rubeizi, a member of the Southern Movement political department, was detained by the Shabwah Elite in Ataq. The night before he had publicly posted a cartoon image of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, next to an image of the Southern Transitional Council leadership, annotated with “We are your slaves”. Al-Rubeizi was taken to Belhaf coalition Base where he remained disappeared as of the time of writing, and reportedly may have been tortured and seriously harmed.406 288. The result of the above has been a marked ‘chilling effect’ during 2018 and through June 2019.407 The majority of independent journalists have left Aden and southern areas to move abroad, and those remaining have tended to self-censor, refraining from criticising the Southern Transitional Council, United Arab Emirates and Security Belt for fear of reprisal.408 Al-Islah leaders have left Yemen to avoid being killed, and as noted above, imams have been replaced by those more compliant to the Southern Transitional Council. 409 The Southern Transitional Council has filled this gap by developing its own media presence.410 Alleged further violations of freedom of expression continued to be documented until June 2019 for which the Group’s investigations were not completed by the time of writing. 289. The Group of Experts has reasonable grounds to believe that freedom of expression has been restricted by the authorities in control of Aden, in violation of their human rights obligations. Freedom of expression may legally be restricted, but only as provided by the law and as necessary for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others, as well as for the protection of national security, public safety, order, health or morals.411 These conditions do not appear to have been fulfilled in the cases examined by the Group of Experts. 5. Conflict related sexual violence “At 0200 in the morning I was asleep when the soldiers broke in. They hit me hard in the head with the butt of their rifle. I fell down half-conscious and blood was streaming across my eyes. They pulled up my Abaya and started raping me. I started screaming for help, which made one of them start raping me in the mouth. After they finished they got startled and I escape naked down the street.” Woman survivor of rape412 Sexual Violence by United Arab Emirates-backed Security Belt Forces 403 Confidential Sources on File. Confidential Sources on File. 405 Confidential Sources on File. 406 Confidential Sources on File. 407 Confidential Sources on File. 408 Confidential Sources on File. 409 Confidential Sources on File. 410 Confidential Sources on File. See also www.stcaden.com. 411 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, arts. 19; see also Human Rights Committee general comment No. 34, paras. 21–36. 412 Confidential Sources on File. 404 67