The European Parliament issued the following resolution demanding the liberation of Biram Dah Abeid and his colleagues. The European counter-parts to IRA- Mauritanie along with UNPO and other non-profits worked together to generate this declaration. You can listen to the members of the EU parliament speak on this urgent resolution here (in French).
Plenary sitting
16.12.2014
JOINT
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure
Mauritania, in particular the case of Biram Dah Abeid
on behalf of the EPP Group
on behalf of the S&D Group
on behalf of the ECR Group
on behalf of the ALDE Group
on behalf of the GREEN Group
on behalf of the GUE Group
on behalf of the EFDD Group
Mauritania, in particular the case of Biram Dah Abeid
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Mauritania, including those of June 14, 2012 on security and Human Rights in the Sahel region, and that of October 22, 2013 on Human Rights in the Sahel region,
– having regard to Foreign Affairs Council conclusions on implementation of the EU Strategy for Security and Development in the Sahel of 17 March 2014,
– having regard to the Statement by the EU HRVP Spokesperson on the presidential elections in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania of 25 June 2014;
– having regard to Article 1 of the Mauritanian Constitution which “guarantees equality before the law to all of its citizens without distinction as to origin, race, sex, or social condition”,
– having regard to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights that Mauritania ratified in 1986 which expressly prohibits slavery in Article 5 and to Mauritania’s adherence to international instruments which prohibit contemporary forms of slavery, namely the Slavery Convention of 1926 and the Protocol amending the Slavery Convention; the Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery of 1956;
– having regard to the Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of States, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part, signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000 (“the Cotonou agreement”);
– having regard to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Concluding observations on Mauritania, 24 July 2014
– having regards to ILO Convention 105 on forced labour,
– having regard to Rule 135of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas Biram Dah Abeid’s, the son of freed-slaves, is engaged in an advocacy campaign to eradicate slavery; whereas in 2008, he founded the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement; whereas this organization seeks to draw attention to the issue and to help take specific cases before courts of law; whereas Biram Dah Abeid was awarded the United Nations Human Rights Prize for 2013;
B. whereas on 11 November 2014, Biram Dah Abeid, a leading Mauritanian anti-slavery activist and founder of the abolitionist organization IRA (Initiative pour la Resurgence du Mouvement Abolitioniste), was arrested following a peaceful anti- slavery march; Mr Abeid has been charged with calling for a demonstration, participation in a demonstration and belonging to an illegal organisation and some reports suggest that he is at risk of facing the death penalty; whereas the death penalty is still provided for in the Criminal Code and it is not restricted to the most serious crimes and is imposed following convictions based on confessions obtained under torture
C. Whereas other anti-slavery campaigners have also been arrested and detained bringing the total number of imprisoned IRA-Mauritania activists to 17; it is alleged that during the arrests the Mauritanian gendarmerie used excessive force including beatings with batons, physical dragging along the floor and humiliation techniques including making detainees strip naked; there are also allegations of prison guards attempting to coerce some of the activists into signing confessions
D. whereas Mr Abeid was voted as runner-up in the 2014 Mauritanian presidential elections this year; his reputation has made him a prime target for the Mauritanian authorities; whereas his arrest, and those of his colleagues, thus represents a crackdown on political opposition as well as civil society;
E. Whereas although officially abolished in 1981 and criminalized in 2007, the practice of slavery persists in Mauritania; whereas according to the Global Slavery Index 2014, Mauritania is the biggest offender, with the highest proportion of its population enslaved up to 4 per cent whereas some figures estimate the prevalence of slavery at up to 20%; whereas the recent Slavery Act does not cover all forms of slavery in Mauritania for example, any form of serfdom;
F. whereas slavery in Mauritania is explicitly racialized, with slaves almost universally drawn from the (black) Haratin community, which comprises between 40-60% of the Mauritanian population, as well as other communities as acknowledged by the Special Rapporteur for Slavery; whereas the Haratin, even those not in slavery, are frequently denied access to higher-status work or prominent positions in public life
G. whereas slavery is usually hereditary, and babies born to enslaved women are frequently considered the property of a master’s family for their whole lives; whereas female slaves are routinely subjected to sexual violence; whereas most slaves are denied a formal education and are taught that their destiny is to belong to their masters, thus perpetuating so-called psychological slavery; whereas women slaves require their masters’ permission to marry; whereas many slaves are born as the product of rape; whereas even slaves who have been released have few opportunities to find meaningful employment;
H. whereas Mauritania has ratified conventions such as the Universal Declaration of `Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the ACP-EU Cotonou Agreement;
Strongly condemns the arrest and ongoing detention of anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid and his fellow campaigners, and calls for their immediate release; expresses concern about reports of the violence used against some of the activists, and urges the Mauritanian authorities to prosecute those officials who have been involved in the abuse and torture of prisoners;
Calls upon the Mauritanian Government to stop using violence against civilians participating in peaceful public protests and media campaigns in support of Mr Biram Dah Abeid; to cease its crackdown on civil society and political opposition, and to permit anti-slavery activists to pursue their non-violent work without fear of harassment and intimidation; urges the Mauritanian authorities to allow freedom of speech and assembly, in accordance with international conventions and its own domestic law;
Strongly condemns all forms of slavery; specifically the reported high prevalence of slavery, slavery related practice and the trafficking of human beings within Mauritania; welcomes the Government’s criminalisation of slavery, the existence of a Special Court for slavery and the Government’s announcement in March 2014 to introduce a road-map to the abolition of slavery; strongly encourages the Mauritanian authorities to help change social attitudes about race and slavery, particularly regarding the Haratin population; stresses that discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity, especially in the realms of education and employment, should be outlawed;
Regrets that there has only been one prosecution for slavery; calls on the Mauritanian government to end all forms of slavery; to enact anti-slavery; and to pass legislation aimed at amending or repealing discriminatory legislation, including the discriminatory provisions of its penal, personal status and nationality codes; stresses that allegations of slavery and slavery-like practices should be effectively investigated and prosecuted
Calls on the Mauritarian authorities to raise awareness, peoples’ attitudes and beliefs towards slavery at all levels of society;
Urges development of universal formal education, so that current and former slaves, as well as their children, can improve their literacy and become equipped with the tools to find meaningful employment; notes that all Mauritanian citizens should be entitled to own land, particularly when they have occupied and cultivated it for generations, which Biram Dah Abeid and IRA-Mauritania propose as the key means to end the cycle of slavery; encourages the Mauritanian Government, in this regard, to ratify the ILO Convention 169, which recognises the forms of land use for indigenous peoples;
Underlines the importance of a fruitful relationship between the EU and Mauritania with the aim of contributing to democracy, stability and development in Mauritania; stresses that Mauritania is a significant partner in the EU Strategy for Security and Development in the Sahel;
Urges the Vice President/High Representative, EEAS and Member States to increase their efforts to address slavery in Mauritania, specifically by ensuring a clear and workable foreign affairs and human rights policy in line with the EU Strategic Framework on Human Rights and Democracy, and by promoting a human rights dimension as part of the EU Sahel Strategy, and in dialogues with the Mauritanian Government, including formal bilateral agreements;
9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the Member States, the Mauritanian authorities, the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the UN Human Rights Council, the Economic Community of West African States, the Arab League and the African Union.
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