- Ilguilas Weila
Ilguilas Weila is an
anti-slavery human rights activist inNiger . He is president of the anti-slavery organizationTimidria .Ilguilas Weila and five other people were arrested on
28 April ,2005 accused of trying to falsely elicit money, two billionCFA franc s, from foreign donors. [http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1712047,00.html] Four were released shortly afterwards but Weila and Alassane Biga were freed onbail by a Niger court on17 June . He denies any wrongdoing. A demonstration was held on19 May through the capitalNiamey in protest at his arrest.The charges came after a ceremony, in March, to release 7,000 slaves in the northern part of
Tillabéri Region was cancelled at the last minute by the government who maintains slavery does not exist. At least 43,000 people are thought to live in subjugation across Niger, which officially banned slavery in May 2004. The matter is liable to embarrass the Nigerien presidentTandja Mamadou who currently heads theEconomic Community of West African States .Much of Weila's work is devoted to informing people of their rights under the new law which are unknown in much of Niger owing to
poverty , lowliteracy and the inaccessibility of many areas. Timidria gives literacy classes to freed slaves and also money so they can start a new life. It is these funds, provided partly by London-basedAnti-Slavery International , that Weila is alleged to have stolen. Anti-Slavery International has written anopen letter denying these claims. The organization has attempted to highlight Ilguilas Weila work outside of Niger and he received their Anti-Slavery Award in November 2004.Weila has criticised the ingrained nature of slavery in the region and questioned the role of religion "Islam assisted in the indoctrination of slaves through the use of religion, by saying for example if you disobey your master, you will not access paradise, hence your paradise is in the hands of your master," [http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=813618&page=3]
Islam says nomuslim can be a slave.External links
* [http://www.antislavery.org/homepage/antislavery/award/nigerbackground2004.htm Anti-slavery International: Slavery in Niger]
* [http://www.antislavery.org/homepage/antislavery/award/weilaspeech2004.htm Ilguilas Weila's acceptance speech for the 2004 Anti-Slavery Award]
* [http://anti-slaverysociety.addr.com/niger.htm Traditional slavery in Niger]Persondata
NAME= Weila, Ilguilas
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Nigerien abolitionist
DATE OF BIRTH= 19??
PLACE OF BIRTH= Niger
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=
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