Biram Dah Abeid to Stand for President in 2014 Mauritanian Election

On 28 January 2014, Biram Dah Abeid, President of IRA-Mauritania (Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement), announced his candidature for the next presidential elections in Mauritania, scheduled for July 2014. Behind his decision to stand as an independent candidate lies a desire to achieve respect for human rights, national cohesion and positive social change in Mauritania, rather than a political ideology. Mr. Abeid is currently in Europe advocating for the abolition of slavery, and will pay a visit to Brussels next week with the aim of conducting high-level meetings with officials and the press.

Mr. Abeid, who is still under the threat of the death penalty, has a history of strictly peaceful and non-violent activism, urging the Mauritanian authorities to enforce anti-slavery legislation in the country. He was recently awarded both the United Nations Human Rights Prize and the Front Line Defenders Award for human rights defenders at risk, in recognition of his efforts to end slavery in Mauritania.

In order to encourage free and fair elections, UNPO urges the European Union to deploy an Election Observation Mission to Mauritania for the July 2014 presidential elections.