Mauritanian police have arrested blogger Mohamed Ali Abdel Aziz on suspicion of making audio-visual recordings that have gone viral on social media in recent days, security sources in Nouakchott have told Reporters Without Borders.
By Mohamed Moctar
Without mentioning his name, the Mauritanian Interior ministry issued a statement on Wednesday referring to the arrest of a citizen who had “committed acts that could be described as cyber crimes.”
According to the statement, the blogger is accused of having used a computer program to produce and distribute (publish) recordings containing insults and incitement to racism and hatred.
The incriminated recordings strongly criticized Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani and glorified his predecessor and now rival Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.
They are described by the ministry as being “in obvious contradiction with our social values, the teachings of our holy religion and the laws in force in the country.”
The statement specified that the security authorities are continuing their investigations under the direction of the Prosecutor General’s Office, stressing that all this is taking place in “strict compliance with the code of criminal procedure.”
CGD/lb/as/APA