A/HRC/42/CRP.1 582. The prevailing feature of detention by the de-facto authorities relates to the Houthis’ refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or concealment of the fate or whereabouts of detainees, thereby placing them outside the protection of the law and rendering them vulnerable to further human rights violations. Among the 17 Hudaydah cases investigated, 13 detainees885 suffered enforced disappearances. The refusal by the Houthis to acknowledge the detention of individuals has forced relatives to bribe Houthi officials to obtain information on detained family members,886 an option that is not available to those with few resources.887 The plight of relatives is made worse when they face obstacles to even inquiring about their detained family member. In one case, family members were arrested for a day by the Houthis and were threatened with detention themselves if they came back to ask about their detained family member. 888 583. A key aspect of the disappearances is the existence of a network of secret detention facilities in the al-Hudaydah governorate. The Group of Experts received recent first hand889 and other credible reports890 on the existence of clandestine detention facilities, which together with previously verified reports,891 confirm the continuation of this trend. With respect to the length of the disappearances, four of these detainees were disappeared for a maximum period of four months. 892 In seven recent cases, family members still did not know the whereabouts of their detained relatives at the time of writing.893 584. Detainees have continued to suffer ill-treatment and torture while in detention. In five cases investigated by the Group of Experts, detainees were subjected to torture or illtreatment or witnessed the consequences of torture on fellow detainees.894 This included punching, kicking, beating with metal bars, beating with sticks, beating with guns, whipping with electric cables, hanging in the air for hours, and removal of nails. In one case,895 relatives received the dead body of a detainee who had been in detention with clear signs of torture. In three additional cases, individuals who were released prior to the battle of al-Hudaydah, had also been tortured in similar ways.896 The death of one of those released appeared to be connected with the torture he had suffered.897 The locations in which torture was reported include the Citadel in al-Hudaydah city, the Junesh (a separate detention facility within the al-Hudaydah Central prison), the Political Security detention facility in al-Hudaydah city, a detention facility in al-Dahi district, the Central Investigations Department in al-Hudaydah city, and a detention facility in al-Zaydiyah. 585. In most cases, individuals were detained because they were perceived to oppose the Houthi authorities in al-Hudaydah. Such “opposition” was, at times, as simple as expressing reservations to Houthi policies,898 posting material on social media that criticized the Houthis,899 and reporting on human rights.900 The Houthis also detained relatives of those who dared to criticize them in public.901 885 Confidential Sources on File. Confidential Sources on File. 887 Confidential Sources on File. 888 Confidential Sources on File. 889 Confidential Sources on File. 890 Confidential Sources on File. 891 Confidential Sources on File. 892 Confidential Sources on File. 893 Confidential Sources on File. 894 Confidential Sources on File. 895 Confidential Sources on File. 896 Confidential Sources on File. 897 Confidential Sources on File. 898 Confidential Sources on File. 899 Confidential Sources on File. 900 Confidential Sources on File. 901 Confidential Sources on File. 886 141