(WAN/IFEX) – Issue number 254 of the newspaper “Mauritanie Nouvelles” has been seized by officials of the Ministry of the Interior and an order has been made prohibiting the newspaper’s publication for three months, a period which covers the forthcoming presidential election. Mohamed Yeslem Ould Amar Chein, Director of Political Affairs and Public Liberties, indicated […]
(WAN/IFEX) – Issue number 254 of the newspaper “Mauritanie
Nouvelles” has been seized by officials of the Ministry of the
Interior and an order has been made prohibiting the newspaper’s
publication for three months, a period which covers the
forthcoming presidential election. Mohamed Yeslem Ould Amar
Chein, Director of Political Affairs and Public Liberties,
indicated that the prohibition was related to a newspaper report
on the alleged creation of the Arab African Front.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
clear violation of the right to freedom of expression, which is
guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,
which Mauritania has ratified
presidential election suggests a more sinister motive for the
closure than the government’s dissatisfaction with a single
article
elections that freedom of the press must be imperatively
guaranteed and protected
“Mauritanie Nouvelles” and to ensure that its publication is
permitted throughout the presidential campaign and beyond
Appeals To
His Excellency Ould Sid Ahmed Taya
President of the Republic
Nouakchott, Mauritania
Fax: +222 2 52636 / 56890Dah Ould Abdel Jelil
Minister of the Interior
Nouakchott, Mauritania
Fax: +222 2 51547care of the Mauritanian Embassy in your country
(in France)
Fax: +33 1 40 72 82 96(in Canada)
Embassy of the Republic of Mauritania
45 O’Connor Street, Suite 1500
Ottawa, Ontario
K2P 1A1 Canada
Fax: +1 613 237 3287
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
