A/HRC/42/CRP.1 4. Targeting of the General People’s Congress (GPC) political party Affiliates 2017-2019 477. The Group of Experts investigated allegations of human rights violations in the context of the break-up of the Houthi-Saleh alliance at the end of 2017. 478. The Group examined the targeting of persons affiliated with the GPC following the split in its alliance with the Houthis. In one case, on the same day the split was announced, Houthi fighters killed a member of the GPC leadership and his two family members. In another case, the de facto authorities arbitrarily detained tens of GPC women affiliates who were leading protests. (a) Background 479. The Houthi-Saleh alliance was by definition fragile due to a long history of conflict between the two sides. The intermittent 2004-2011 conflicts that took place in Sa’dah governorate between the Houthis and the Ali Abdullah Saleh-led Government of Yemen allegedly resulted in numerous human rights violations and remained in the collective memory of the inhabitants of that province. 480. The alliance was further strained in the months preceding the break-up in December 2017. The internal power struggle was illustrated by key incidents. Pro-Houthi media repeatedly suggested that the GPC was not supporting the war effort and that some of its members were cooperating with the coalition. According to reliable sources, members of the GPC within the government felt increasingly side-lined by the Houthis, and in August 2017 the Houthis attempted to obstruct the celebrations of the 35 th anniversary of the establishment of the GPC. Also in August 2017, the deputy head of the GPC foreign affairs committee, Khalid al-Radhi, was reportedly killed in a dispute at a checkpoint between Houthi guards and bodyguards of one of Saleh’s sons.770 That same month a prominent GPC member, who had been an outspoken critic of the Houthis and who had been warned by them, was attacked and severely injured by unidentified armed men who hit him with metal bars. In the following days, the GPC member left the country with his family. 771 481. Tensions escalated in late November 2017, as the Houthis succeeded in taking over the al-Saleh Mosque in Sana’a, an important symbol of Saleh’s power and influence. The Houthis attacked the house of Saleh’s nephew, Tariq, which reportedly resulted in eight persons killed.772 Amid this tension, on 2 December 2017, in a televised speech, Saleh formally broke ties with the Houthis, saying that he was open to a dialogue with the coalition. The Houthis immediately shut down the internet and satellite channels and attacked the building of the GPC-owned Yemen al-Youm media station. The Houthis arrested 43 members of staff and shut down the station. (b) Killing of Ali Abdullah Saleh 482. The Group investigated the killing of Ali Abdullah Saleh. However, due to the highly charged political environment surrounding the killing it has not been possible to reach a conclusion as to the exact circumstances of his death. This was partly due to witnesses who were present at the time of Saleh’s death declining to speak to the Group. One stated that they would need authorisation from the government of a specific coalition country, and subsequently refused to engage with the Group. 483. According to information gathered by the Group of Experts, between 2 December 2017 at 0700 hrs and the morning of 4 December 2017, the Houthis conducted a concerted attack with tanks, mortars and snipers on Saleh’s house in the Hadda district of Sana’a. Fighting ensued between the Houthis and Saleh’s guards. The Group of Experts was not able to reach factual conclusions on the immediate aftermath of the Houthis’ take-over of the House. Some sources suggest that, by the morning of 4 December 2017, the Houthis had entered the house and killed Saleh, and arrested two of his adult sons, who were then 770 Confidential Sources on File. Confidential Sources on File. 772 Confidential Sources on File. 771 119