Authorities in Mauritania must drop all charges and immediately and unconditionally release 13 anti-slavery activists arbitrarily detained in an attempt to intimidate and silence human rights defenders, Amnesty International and 16 other civil society organizations said on Monday.
The activists will appear before a court on August 3, in the capital Nouakchott accused of rebellion, use of violence, attack against public authority, armed assembly and membership of an unrecognized organization. If convicted, they face a fine and a jail term of up to two years.
“These activists are prisoners of conscience who have been falsely accused and are behind bars in order to impede their legitimate work. They have been targeted persistently for their views and must be released immediately and unconditionally,” said Kiné Fatim Diop, Amnesty International West Africa Campaigner.
“The long-time persecution has no legal justification. The authorities must end their rule of fear and repression on anti-slavery activists,” Amnesty International said in a statement.
It said the 13 anti-slavery activists were members of the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA), a non-governmental human rights organization that campaigns against slavery in Mauritania.
They were arrested between June 30, and July 9, after a protest by the members of a Nouakchott slum community that was being threatened with relocation as the city prepared for an Arab League Summit.
Amnesty International said none of the 13 activists had organized the protest or taken part in it. Since being charged, they have been allowed to contact their lawyers and families on only one occasion.
“There is no justification whatsoever for denying these activists access to their families and lawyers. Every person deprived of their liberty has a right to the assistance of a lawyer and to communicate with and receive visits from their family,” said Mamadou Sarr, President of Mauritania Human rights organisations forum (FONADH, Forum des organisations nationales des droits de l’homme en Mauritanie).
Two other anti-slavery activists were arrested between July 20 and 21 and held incommunicado until July 26, before being released without charge, the statement said.
According to information received by Amnesty International, they were detained solely because the authorities feared the IRA would cause a disturbance at the Arab League Summit, held on July 25.
“Amnesty International and the other signatory organizations urge the authorities to put an end to the intensifying crackdown on anti-slavery activists and ensure that human rights defenders are able to work in a safe and enabling environment. Mauritania has recently adopted a law defining slavery as a crime against humanity,” the statement said.
Amnesty International noted that human rights defenders and civil society organizations campaigning against slavery have often faced undue restrictions from the authorities to exercise their rights. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Mauritania is a state party, protects the rights to freedom of expression and association.
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