(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Minister of the Interior Dah Ould Abdel Jellil, RSF protested the seizure of the latest issue of the weekly “Le Carrefour”. The organisation asked the minister “to see to it that Article 11 of the press law is withdrawn”. “Since 1 January 2000, seven Mauritanian newspapers have been seized […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Minister of the Interior Dah Ould Abdel Jellil, RSF protested the seizure of the latest issue of the weekly “Le Carrefour”. The organisation asked the minister “to see to it that Article 11 of the press law is withdrawn”. “Since 1 January 2000, seven Mauritanian newspapers have been seized in accordance with this article, which permits the government to exercise genuine censorship in the country,” added Robert Ménard, RSF’s secretary-general.
According to information obtained by RSF, the Mauritanian authorities invoked Article 11 of the press law to seize issue 21 of the private weekly “Le Carrefour” on 24 August. According to the newspaper’s manager, Moussa Ould Samba Sy, this seizure is due to the publication of an interview with a Mauritanian opposition member who has taken refuge in France.
Article 11 of the Mauritanian press law provides for “the ministry, by decree, to forbid the circulation, distribution or sale of newspapers . . . that undermine the principles of Islam or the credibility of the state, damage the general interest or disturb public order and security . . .”. In all these cases, the Ministry of the Interior is not required to justify its decision.
