74. Immediately after the release of the Arabo-Berbers, the black Africans were thrust back
to the difficult gaol conditions to which they had previously been subjected, which
consisted, remarkably, of keeping them chained in pairs during the whole day, with all
inconveniences arising from such a situation, hard labour, fetching water, etc. These
inhuman prison conditions, coupled with poor alimentation and lack of hygiene are said
to be the cause of the above-mentioned deaths of four of their co-detainees (two
military and two civilians).
75. The Mauritanian Human Rights Association claims violation of the following
provisions of the African Charter of Human and Peoples’ Rights:
a - article 2: “Every individual shall be entitled to the enjoyment of the rights and
freedoms recognized and guaranteed in the present Charter without distinction of any
kind such as race, ethnic group, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other
opinion, national and social origin, fortune, birth or other status”;
b - article 4: “Human beings are inviolable. Every human being shall be entitled to
respect for his life and the integrity of his person. No one may be arbitrarily deprived
of this right”;
c - article 5: “Every individual shall have the right to the respect of the dignity
inherent in a human being and to the recognition of his legal status. All forms of
exploitation and degradation of man particularly slavery, slave trade, torture, cruel,
inhuman or degrading punishment and treatment shall be prohibited”;
d - article 15: “Every individual shall have the right to work under equitable and
satisfactory conditions, and shall receive equal pay for equal work”;
e - article 16:
1. “Every individual shall have the right to enjoy the best attainable
state of physical and mental health;
2. “States Parties to the present Charter shall take the necessary measures
to protect the health of their people and to ensure that they receive medical attention
when they are sick”;
f - article 19: “All peoples shall be equal; they shall enjoy the same respect and shall
have the same rights. Nothing shall justify the domination of a people by another”.
LAW:
Admissibility
76. Communications 54/91, 61/91, 98/93, 96/93, 164/97 – 196/97 and 210/98 allege cases
of grave and massive violations of human rights attributed to the Mauritanian State.
77. In the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, admissibility is governed by
article 56, which defines all the conditions that communications must meet in order to
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