The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) called on the government of Mauritania on Tuesday to release the 15 opponents of slavery immediately. Human rights activist Biram Dah Abeid, chair of the anti-slavery movement IRA (Initiative pour la Résurgence du Mouvement Abolitionniste), and 14 other members of his organization were arrested at midday on Monday in a suburb of the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, while they were publicly protesting the enslavement of two under-age girls. Furthermore the STP urgently appealed to the Mauritanian government to respect the law of the land and guarantee the release of the enslaved girls.

Biram Dah Abeid and attorney Fatimata M´Baye, who received the Nuremberg International Human Rights Award in 1999 for her commitment to civil and human rights, took part in a hearing of the two girls, Salma Mint Salem and Oum El Ide Mint Salem Tayvour, in the presence of officials in Arafat. The girls indicated during the hearing that they were kept as slaves by Ms. Oumoulinmnine Mint Bekkar Val, an employee of the Mauritania Central Bank.

At first the slaveholder admitted to this abuse, but later denied everything to the police. She remains unpunished. In response, the civil rights activists protested in a spontaneous demonstration against the failure of officials to act and against the enslavement of the two girls. Officials broke up the demonstration, using tear gas in the process, and arrested 15 demonstrators. Several activists were wounded during this police action. The officials accused them of wounding the chief of police.

Ever since Biram Dah Abeid spoke critically of slavery in February 2009 in France, officials have been seeking an excuse to silence him. For example, they circulated a false health certificate on the Internet saying he was mentally ill. Furthermore, they called him an "enemy of the state" and a "traitor," claiming that his critical remarks hurt the country's image.

Officially, slavery was abolished in Mauritania in 1981. According to estimates by Mauritanian human rights activists, however, there are still some 550,000 slaves in the country, forced to work for their "masters" as domestic servants or farm laborers for little or no money. Most of the slaves are Haratin from sub-Saharan Africa, who make up roughly 40% of the 3 million residents of Mauritania. Opponents of slavery who live in Mauritania live dangerously, as public criticism of slavery is held to be highly objectionable.

For further Information please contact Ulrich Delius: 0049 - 551 - 4990627

Translated by Elizabeth Crawford