Mauritania’s observatory for human rights on Friday denounced what it called the repression of students and called for an inquiry into their alleged torture by the police after two days of demonstrations.
By Mohamed Moctar
“Those responsible for these practices must be held accountable for their actions,” the observatory said in a statement.
Since Wednesday hundreds of students have been taking part in demonstrations outside the premises of the Ministry of Higher Education in Nouakchott to protest a new government decision limiting the age of enrolment in university institutions to 25 years.
The demonstrators were subjected to violent police intervention including tear gas and batons to disperse them.
Several demonstrators were injured in the violence.
The human rights observatory described the use of force against students as “crimes of torture punishable by law.”
It called for an end to all forms of violations of citizens’ rights to peaceful demonstrations, stressing that the latest images of “violent repression” constitute a “serious setback” in the mushrooming of public freedoms and human rights in Mauritania.
The statement also called for the decision to limit the age of enrolment in higher education institutions to be abandoned.
It views the decision as incompatible with the constitution.
MOO/te/lb/as/APA