Hanevy Ould Dehah, the editor of the website Taqadoumy, was finally freed Friday along with around 100 ordinary offenders under a presidential pardon issued in honour of Mawlid (the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday), according to Reporters sans Frontières (RSF).
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.
“We welcome Dehah’s release after eight months of unjustified detention,” Paris-based RSF said. “The president seems to have heard the appeals from Mauritanian journalists and the international community. We thank them for interceding.”
The legal void in Mauritania regarding online journalists must be filled as a matter of urgency so that similar cases to not recur, RSF said. On December 29, RSF sent the government a series of recommendations aimed at improving respect for press freedom. One of the recommendations was an overhaul of Internet legislation.
