We are closely monitoring the situation of the activists from the “Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement” who are facing judicial proceedings in Rosso. We call upon the government of Mauritania to ensure that these and all judicial proceedings are fair, transparent, and objective.
The U.S. Embassy maintains an ongoing dialogue with the Mauritanian authorities on the subject of human rights, including freedoms of expression, association and peaceful demonstration. We also maintain an open and ongoing dialogue with civil society organizations which seek to bring issues of injustice to the attention of the government.
We encourage Mauritania to continue and to intensify its efforts to end all forms of slavery, in accordance with its own publicly stated objectives, with particular attention to the government’s Roadmap to Eradicate Slavery adopted in March of this year. Definitively removing slavery from Mauritanian society requires a sustained and collective effort by government, religious, law enforcement, judicial and civil society leaders.
