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In an alarming move, the Government of Niger has arrested the country's
leading anti-slavery activist, Ilguilas Weila.
On 28 April, Ilguilas Weila, president of Niger's pioneering anti-slavery
organisation Timidria, and five other people were arrested. They
remain under arbitrary detention, accused of "propagating false
information on slavery and attempting to raise funds illegally".
Timidria "categorically denies the fallacious charges"
brought against Ilguilas Weila and believes this is part of a concerted
campaign of harassment by the authorities to muzzle the organisation.
"We condemn the Niger Government's treatment of Ilguilas
Weila and demand his immediate and unconditional release. Slavery
is a significant problem in Niger and we call on the Government
to work in co-operation with Timidria to achieve an end to this
abuse," Anti-Slavery International Director Mary Cunneen
said.
Over 30 local organisations and the international human rights
organisation Global Rights have joined Anti-Slavery International's
call for the immediate unconditional release of Ilguilas Weila and
his fellow activists.
Timidria is calling on Niger's President and Chair of the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mamadou Tandja, "to
guarantee the respect of fundamental human rights and end the intimidation
and arbitrary arrest of its citizens".
These charges relate to the planned but failed attempt to release
7,000 slaves in a ceremony in In Atès, a remote area near
the Niger-Malian border, in early March 2005. In a ceremony announcing
slavery to be a criminal offence, the authorities warned slave masters
not to release their slaves officially, stating that if they did,
they would be subject to up to 30 years in prison. Timidria and
others also reported government intimidation, preventing slaves
from attending the ceremony.
At least 43,000 people are in slavery across Niger. They are born
into an established slave class and are made to carry out all labour
required by their masters without pay, including herding, cleaning,
moving their master's tent to ensure he and his family are always
in shade. The masters do nothing. Slaves are inherited, given as
gifts and babies may be taken away from their mothers once weaned.
They are denied all rights and choice.
In May 2004 a new law came into effect making practising slavery
punishable by up to 30 years in prison. The Government's move was
in response to the publication of the first national survey of slavery,
which was jointly carried out by Timidria and Anti-Slavery International,
the world's oldest international human rights organisation. The
report established the extent and countrywide existence of slavery,
having interviewed over 11,000 people, most of whom were found to
be in slavery.
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