Mauritania jails 13 anti-slavery activists Thursday Aug 18,2016

Thirteen anti-slavery activists in Mauritania have been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison for their alleged role in a riot in June 2016

A tribunal found the members of the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA) guilty on Thursday Aug 18,2016 of counts including attacks against the government, armed assembly and membership of an unrecognised organisation.

The defendants said they were not present at the June protests and that the trial was a politically-motivated attempt by the government to discredit their organisation.

The decision was condemned on Friday Aug 19,2016 by international campaigners as a "devastating blow to the Mauritanian anti-slavery movement".