Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the reported arbitrary detention of Mauritanian anti-slavery human rights defenders between 30 June and 3 July 2016; and what representations his Department has made to the Mauritanian government on (a) that reported detention and (b) the treatment of human rights defenders in that country.

The British Government continues to make representations on human rights concerns at the highest levels with the Mauritanian government. Most recently, the Head of the British Office in Nouakchott raised slavery and detention of the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement Mauritania activists with the Mauritanian Prime Minister and eight other ministers in a meeting alongside EU Heads of Mission on 9 December 2016.

Ministers and officials have also met recently with anti-slavery activists to discuss treatment of human rights defenders. On Tuesday 6 December 2016, Baroness Anelay of St Johns met with the UN Special Rapporteur on Slavery, Ms Urmila Bhoola, and the Mauritanian anti-slavery activist, Biram Dah Abeid to discuss concerns about slavery in Mauritania. Officials in Nouakchott also met with Mauritanian human rights campaigners from SOS Esclaves in the same month.