Biram Dah Abeid Receives 2020 Geneva Summit Courage Award

An accomplished Chicago communications executive, Sean Tenner has served as president of KNI Communication for the past 12 years. An active anti-slavery activist, Sean Tenner fights human bondage in Mauritania as a co-founder of the Abolition Institute and a supporter of other nonprofit organizations.

Experts consider Mauritania, West Africa, to be one of the last places on earth to practice slavery on a widespread scale. In fact, CNN titled its groundbreaking report on Mauritania “Slavery’s Last Stand.” Although the Mauritanian government officially made slavery illegal in 2007, leaders have repeatedly failed to enforce its anti-slavery laws.

Few people have done more to combat slavery in Mauritania than the founder of the resurgence of the abolitionist movement Biram Dah Abeid. Known as “the Nelson Mandela of Mauritania,” Abeid has led thousands of protesters in an attempt to force the government to take action against anti-slavery law violators. In addition to staging demonstrations that include sit-ins and hunger strikes, he has been instrumental in drawing both domestic and international attention to Mauritania’s slavery crisis.

In recognition of Abeid’s endeavors, the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy honored him with the 2020 Courage Award. Sponsored by a group of 25 multinational non-governmental organizations, the Geneva Summit presents the Courage Award to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding “bravery and fortitude” in the fight for human rights.