Hanevy Ould Dehah's lawyer thanked all those who fought for his release and said without them his client would still be in prison.
(RSF/IFEX) – Hanevy Ould Dehah, the editor of the website Taqadoumy, was finally freed on 26 February 2010 along with around 100 ordinary offenders under a presidential pardon issued in honour of Mawlid (the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday).
“We welcome Dehah’s release after eight months of unjustified detention,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The president seems to have heard the appeals from Mauritanian journalists and the international community. We thank them for interceding.”
Dehah’s lawyer, Brahim Ould Ebety, said his client had become an embarrassment for the government. He thanked all those who fought for Dehah’s release and said without them his client would still be in prison.
The legal void in Mauritania regarding online journalists must be filled as a matter of urgency so that similar cases do not recur. On 29 December, Reporters Without Borders sent the government a series of recommendations aimed at improving respect for press freedom. One of the recommendations was an overhaul of Internet legislation.
