20. Whenever the villagers protested, they were beaten and forced to flee to Senegal or simply killed.
Many villagers were arrested and tortured. A common form of torture was known as “Jaguar”. The
victim’s wrists are tied to his feet. He is then suspended from a bar and thus kept upside down,
sometimes over a fire, and is beaten on the soles of his feet. Other methods of torture involved beating
the victims, burning them with cigarette stubs or with a hot metal. As for the women, they were simply
raped.
21. In September 1990, a wave of arrests took place, ending between November and December
1990. Thousands of people were arrested. These were essentially Hal-Pulaar members of the armed
forces or civil servants. All those arrested were from the South of the country. Later, the authorities
alleged that there had been an attempt to unseat the government; but no proof was ever given. The
accused were never put on trial, but were kept in what communication 96/93 describes as “death
camps”, in extremely harsh conditions.
22. Communication 61/91 contains a list of 339 persons believed to have died in detention. Some
detainees were reportedly executed without trial. Thirty-three soldiers were hung, without trial, on
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27 and 28 November 1990. Others were buried in sand to their necks and left to die a slow death.
Many however died as a result of the torture they underwent. The methods used include the so-called
‘Jaguar’ mentioned above, electric shocks to the genital organs, as well as burns all over their bodies.
23. In February 1991, detainees in the J’Reida military camp were undressed, hands tied behind their
backs, sprayed with cold water and beaten with iron bars. The ‘Jaguar’ torture was also utilised. The
detainees were burned with coal embers, or they had some powder spread on their eyes, causing a
terrible burning sensation. Their heads were plunged in dirty water to the point of suffocation; some
were buried in sand to their necks. They were permanently chained in their cells, without toilet
facilities. Some were kept in underground cells or dark cells where it got very cold at night.
24. In March 1991, the government announced the release of a number of political prisoners who
had been convicted, as well as of other persons detained since November and December 1990. In
April, other detainees were released, and President Maaouya Ould Taya announced that all those
arrested had been released. However, there was never any response to the reports referring to people
who had been killed in detention, nor on the unknown fate of many detainees. Communication 61/91
provides a list of 142 people whose deaths are confirmed, and another 197 who were not released
and are probably dead.
25. According to communication 61/91, the government set up a commission of inquiry, but did not
indicate either its prerogatives or the extent of its field of action. It [was] essentially composed of
military men. And even if one were to believe that the commission has finished its work, no report ever
made its conclusions public.
26. Communication 54/91 alleges that there are over 100,000 Black slaves serving in Beidane
houses. And that though 300,000 had bought their freedom, they remain second-class citizens.
Besides, Blacks do not have the right to speak their own languages. According to communication
98/93, a quarter of the population (500,000 out of 2,000,000 inhabitants in the country) are either
slaves or Haratines (freed slaves). The freed slaves maintain many traditional and social links with
their former masters, which constitutes a more subtle form of exploitation.
27. Amnesty International, Union Interafricaine des Droits de l’Homme and Rencontre africaine pour
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la défense des droits de l’Homme made statements at the 19 Session, reiterating the facts already
presented. Amnesty International stated in writing that an amicable settlement could only be possible if
the government set up an independent commission of inquiry to shed light on these violations, brought
the authors to justice according to the internationally respected rules regarding fair trial, without using
the death penalty; tried all other political prisoners according to international norms, and compensated
the victims in a satisfactory manner.
The Government’s Response
28. The government’s response to these allegations was that Amnesty International had taken sides
in the conflict between Senegal and Mauritania. The government admits that there had been what it
calls “incidents” in late 1990, but that the“necessary measures had been taken to restore order as
soon as possible and to limit the damage” . It also declares that administrative sanctions were