judges who are courageous enough to mete out appropriate sanctions on perpetrators sometimes suffer persecution from the administration. Some of the NGOs also complained that the Supreme Court has set a very bad precedent in the first slavery case brought before it by granting bail to the perpetrator who had earlier been sentenced to two years imprisonment l by the Criminal Court of Nouakchott. 97. There were however some representatives who appreciated government efforts in the fight against slavery, citing as examples, the anti slavery law, the new constitutional amendment prohibiting slavery as a crime against humanity, the many slavery cases pending before the courts and the programs put in place by the Government to empower former slaves to assume their independence. They blamed the subsistence of slavery on the socio-economic situation of the country characterized by extreme poverty and ignorance, and emphasized that efforts to fight slavery needed to be concentrated on education and sensitization as well as economic empowerment. 98. On torture, many of the NGOs present stated that torture was routinely practiced in most police stations and that impunity for perpetrators was total. The delegation heard testimonies from some victims of torture, especially some student leaders who were allegedly involved in a demonstration and were thereafter arrested, and detained in various Police Stations in Nouakchott where they were subjected to torture and forced to confess to accusations of having destroyed public property. The delegation received information that these student leaders were charged with crimes punishable with the death penalty and were released without the charges being dropped. 99. The absence of legal aid and long pre-trial detention periods were also brought to the attention of the delegation. The delegation was informed that most of the inmates in Mauritanian prisons are pre-trial detainees and that conditions in the prisons, especially the Da Naim Prison, were inhuman and degrading. The delegation was also informed that persons accused of terrorist acts are often detained in secret places of detention and in total isolation. The case of 14 salafist prisoners, whose place of detention was unknown, was brought to the attention of the delegation. 100. In concluding the meeting, the Chairperson also briefed the members present about the meetings that the delegation had held with the government officials and some of the issues raised with them. He informed the NGOs that Mauritania has outstanding Reports for the African Commission in accordance with its obligations under Article 62 of the African Charter. She said that this was raised with the Minister of Justice who indicated that they were working on the Report and would soon submit it. She stated that the African Commission will 32 | P a g e