According to Amnesty, the activists were arrested while trying to educate people about land rights in the west African country where slave descendants are often forced to give up a portion of their crops to the traditional Arab masters. Gaetan Mootoo, Amnesty’s West Africa researcher, denounced the convictions, saying: “The intensifying crackdown on anti-slavery activists in Mauritania has no legal justification and is symptomatic of the government’s lack of respect for human rights.” The country was the last in the world to abolish slavery, in 1981, and since 2007 its practice has been officially designated a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. But campaigners say the government has failed in the past to acknowledge the extent of the trade. Forced labour is a particularly sensitive issue in Mauritania, where anti-slavery charities are very active. africanglobe.net/africa/mauritania-anti-slavery-verdict-sparks-riot/
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 19:14:43 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015