2015 prison census - Mauritania: Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | 14 December 2015 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, 2015 prison census - Mauritania: Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed, 14 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56701f6815.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
| Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed, Freelance | |
|---|---|
| Medium: | Internet |
| Charge: | Ethnic/Religious Insult |
| Imprisoned: | January 2, 2014 |
Mohamed, a blogger and freelance journalist, was sentenced to death on apostasy charges on December 24, 2014, according to news reports. He was arrested almost a year earlier, on January 2, 2014, in his home in the city of Nouadhibou in connection with an article he wrote that was published on the news website Aqlame on December 31, 2013.
The article, called "Religion, religiosity and craftsmen," criticized Mauritania's caste system, an extremely delicate subject, and said that followers of Islam interpreted the religion according to circumstance, Reuters reported.
Mohamed has frequently written articles for news websites that criticize Islamic religious beliefs and conservative practices in Mauritania. He was charged under Article 306 of the Mauritanian criminal code, according to news reports.
The editor of Aqlame, Riad Ould Ahmed, took down the article from the website and issued a statement on January 4, 2014, saying it had been posted accidentally.
A few days after the death sentence was issued, Mauritania's ambassador to the United Nations said in reply to a statement by the International Humanist and Ethical Union that Mohamed had been imprisoned for his own safety in addition to violating the country's laws. Groups of people had called for his death in public protests in Mauritania after his article's publication, according to news reports.
Local news reports said the trial was attended by several religious leaders who insisted on monitoring the proceedings to ensure Shariah law was carried out. When the defendant was brought to court, some in the crowd celebrated by cheering "Allahu Akbar," the reports said. After the 48-hour trial ended with the death sentence, crowds appeared on the streets to celebrate the verdict.
According to Article 306 of the Mauritanian penal code, Muslims convicted of apostasy can have their sentences amended if they repent within three days of being sentenced. Mohamed's lawyers filed an appeal with the court, saying he had repented within the required time frame, according to news reports. His sentence has not been amended, the lawyers said. The last time Mauritania applied the death penalty was in 1987, news reports said.
No date has been scheduled for the sentence to be carried out. Nasser Weddady, a Mauritanian-American activist and regional expert, told CPJ he does not expect the sentence to be carried out, but is concerned that Mohamed could be kept in jail because the government knows that "if they release him, he will be killed."
On January 11, 2014, Mohamed issued a statement from prison denying that he intended to insult the prophet. In February, his lawyer told journalists that Mohamed had been placed in solitary confinement, according to news reports.
In March 2015, dozens of human rights groups signed a joint statement demanding Mohamed's release.
Mohamed was being held in the central prison of Nouadhibou city, according to news reports.
