(WAN/IFEX) – In an 11 July 2000 letter to Interior Minister Dah Ould Abdel Jellil, WAN and the World Editors Forum (WEF) expressed their serious concern over the seizure of the privately owned weekly “La Tribune”. According to reports, on 3 July, Mauritanian authorities seized the most recent issue of “La Tribune”, under Article 11 […]
(WAN/IFEX) – In an 11 July 2000 letter to Interior Minister Dah Ould Abdel Jellil, WAN and the World Editors Forum (WEF) expressed their serious concern over the seizure of the privately
owned weekly “La Tribune”.
According to reports, on 3 July, Mauritanian authorities seized the most recent issue of “La Tribune”, under Article 11 of the Press Law. The newspaper contained an interview with an exiled former army colonel who expressed views critical of the government, an article on the 1 July expulsion from Mauritania of two French citizens, one of whom was a diplomat, and an editorial on police violence.
Article 11 permits the seizure of publications “which threaten the principles of Islam or the credibility of the state, are against the public interest or threaten national security”.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the interior minister:
– respectfully reminding him that the seizure of “La Tribune” is a clear breach of the right to freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by numerous international conventions, including the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, to which Mauritania is a party
– stating that you are seriously concerned at what appears to be a pattern of government harassment of the press and noting that four weekly publications have been seized this year under Article 11 of the Press Law
– respectfully calling on him to ensure that the authorities desist from seizing publications which express opinions that are critical of the government
– urging him to do everything in his power to ensure that Article 11 of the Press Law is rescinded so that his country might fully respect its international obligations to press freedom
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:
The Right Honourable Dah Ould Abdel Jellil
Interior Minister
Nouakchott
Islamic Republic of Mauritania
C/o H.E. Ambassador to France
Fax: +33 1 40 72 82 96
Please copy appeals to WAN.
