by SHRISTOPHE CHATELOT
In the northwestern African nation, anti-slavery activist Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid is accused of burning pages from a holy book that promoted slavery, prompting a call for his execution and a return to Sharia Law.
NOUAKCHOTT – Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid, a prominent anti-slavery activist in this northwestern African nation, is sitting in jail. The president of the Initiative for the Resurgence of Abolitionism (IRA) in Mauritania was arrested on April 29 with ten other people – relatives, IRA leaders and ordinary activists — accused of “violating Mauritanian Islamic values” after an anti-slavery demonstration.
Though denied by authorities, slavery is still a common practice in Mauritania. Amnesty International is asking for the release of these “prisoners of conscience.”
On April 27, Biram, a descendant of slaves, gathered a group of activists for a collective Muslim prayer held outside, as slavery is a taboo subject in places of worship. It is a political act. After the prayers, he set fire to pages from books from the Maliki School of Islamic law, books that talk about servants’ rights and masters’ duties. These ancient books that promote slavery are still studied today.
Biram took great care not to burn the pages mentioning the Koran, Allah or Muhammad. But he was arrested a few hours later with great violence, thanks to an impressive number of elite forces.
Since then, Mauritanian NGOs like Mauritanian Human Rights Watch, SOS Slaves, and the Mauritanian Human Rights League, have denounced this book-burning as “provocative and ill advised.” They nevertheless ask for the immediate release of Biram and his relatives “so that they can have a trial as soon as possible, according to international standards.” After a month in custody, the prisoners were charged with threatening state security. Three of the ten activists — but not Biram — have been released.
For Amnesty International, freedom of speech includes “forms of expressions which can be considered as deeply shocking.” And indeed Biram’s autodafé shocked even his closest friends. “Biram is out of control; he is going too far and it harms the cause he defends,” a close relative confides. “But it’s not a reason to harass him.”
Le Monde/World Crunch for more