Said and
family.
6.
Yarg
became
automatically slaves to the to the El Hassine
The Complainants further allege that Said was required to look after the
family's herd of camels, spending the majority of his time out in the bush
with the animals, sleeping and eating in a make-shift camp. Yarg was also
forced to undertake domestic chores including cooking, cleaning, washing
closes and buying goods from the market. Besides, Yarg is required to
assist his brother Said in looking after the camels from time to time.
7.
The Complainants allege that the two boys worked
without pay,
with no time off (even
on Fridays),
seven days a week
no time to play;
instead
they regularly faced corporal punishments. According to the Complainants,
both Said and Yarg were not called by their given names in the El Hassine
family rather they were called 'slaves'. The children were allowed to eat
only leftovers. Furthermore,
unlike the other children in the family, the two
boys did not attend school nor did they learn the Quran.
8.
The
Complainants
further allege that Said went to the Police
Commissioner with his aunt after escaping in April, 2011 and the aunt
filed a complaint on 19 April 2011 against Cheik Ould Hassine and his
brothers Nedhirou Ould El Hassine, Mohamed Ould El Hassine and Tijani
Ould El Hassine for holding her sister's children as slaves. The complaint
was reportedly duly investigated, and
charges
were
brought
under
the 2007
law, which
criminalizes
slavery.
The
charges
were
laid against
Ahmed Ould El Hassine and his sister Oumekelthoum Mint El Hassine for
practicing slavery over a child and depriving a child of education; against
Mohamed Ould Sidi Mohamed, an employee of the El. Hassine family,
against whom charges have not been pursued, at least for the time being,
because of uncertainty over his identity.
Charges were also brought
against the remaining El Hassine brothers for failing to denounce a crime
of which one was aware and the boys' mother for assisting in the
deprivation of a person's liberty.
The case was then referred to the
Criminal Court in Nouakchott.
9.
It is the
Complainants
allegation
that
in
November,
2011
Ahmed
Ould
El Hassine was found guilty of holding the two brothers in slavery and
depriving them of schooling.
He was sentenced to two years of
imprisonment and fined 500,000 MRO (roughly USD$1500) while his
sister was acquitted of the same charges. The complainants further
allege that the other four El Hassine brothers were convicted and each
received 2 year suspended sentence and were each fined 100,000 MRO
(roughly USD$300) while the boys' mother received a two years
suspended sentence and was fined 500,000 MRO (roughly USD$1500)
awarding
a joint compensation
of 840,000
MRO
(roughly
Said and 240,000 MRO (roughly USD$700) for Yarg.
USD$2500)
for
10. Despite the unsatisfactory decision of the Court, the Complainants allege
that the State
Prosecutor did not appeal
the judgment on time.
Moreover,
according to the Complainants,
in less than four months’ time