On Saturday 15 June, 2013, Biram Abeid was welcomed back to Mauritania by thousands of IRA supporters waiting for him at the Nouakchott international airport (pictures below). He was returning from a month-long trip across Europe, which UNPO has widely reported, where he met with several dignitaries, press organizations, NGOs and members of the European Parliament. IRA was also present in Paris last Wednesday for a round table at the French National Assembly.

Following his arrival, Biram was warmly congratulated for the prize awarded to him by Frontline Defenders. A meeting organized for his supporters straight after his arrival was the occasion for him to reaffirm his will to continue the battle for justice and truth for all Mauritanians who have suffered at the hands of the ruling elite, not least of which the Haratins who make up the large majority of the enslaved population in Mauritania.

Despite having signed and ratified international covenants and its own national laws, Mauritania continues to turn a blind eye towards the practice of slavery in the country and has gone as far as demanding the death penalty for Biram Abeid, who has been freed conditionally. IRA's efforts are dedicated to abolishing slavery in the country, fighting for the integration of freed slaves into the society and bringing slave-owners to justice. IRA's success in the past years has allowed it to gain much support in Mauritania, and has ambitious projects of creating a vast union in Mauritania.

 

Picture courtesy of IRA Mauritania: