THE NEW SONG by SOLDIER HEMS is sure to be the anthem of the Mauritanian anti-slavery movement.
Biram Dah Abeid, Brahim Bilal Ramdhane and Djiby Sow were senteced, in Rosso on January 15, 2014, to two years in prison.
Directly after their sentencing, the three anti-slavery activists were transferred to the prison in Aleg. They are confined in maximum security conditions. Currently they are only allowed to see close relatives two times per week. They are confined to their cell 23 hours each day, and are not allowed any telephone, email or writing implements. The harsh conditions of their imprisonment far exceed any punishment ever meted out to a slave owner in Mauritania.
The prison sentence is subject to appeal, but the prisoners were denied bail while the appeal is pending. Meanwhile, the judge in Rosso refuses to send the necessary paperwork to Nouakchott. There is no apparent reason for this delay, and the only possible reason is a deliberate action to delay the appeals process.
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