Minds of the Movement

An ICNC blog on the people and power of civil resistance

Biram Dah Abeid

Biram Dah Abeid is an anti-slavery activist and politician from Mauritania. He founded the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA-Mauritania), and was the recipient of the UN Human Rights’ Prize in December 2013 for his work on behalf of enslaved Mauritanians. IRA was also a recipient of ICNC's James Lawson Award for Outstanding Achievement in Nonviolent Conflict in 2016. He was one of Time Magazine's Top 100 Influential People in 2017.

On November 11, 2014 Abeid and 16 fellow activists were arrested for "charges relating to their participation in a caravan of protest calling for the final abolition of slavery in Mauritania”, according to Frontline Defenders. They were released in May 2016 after about 17 months in prison.

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