2010: Mauritania: Hanevy Ould Dehah
12. February 2010
President of the Republic
Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz
Nouakchott
Mauritania
Dear Mr President
The non-political association of writers, PEN International, has received alarming information regarding Hanevy Ould Dehah, editor of the news website Taqadoumy.
It is being reported that Mr Haney Ould Dehah served six moths in prison for allegedly having “violated public decency”. After the end of the term, his case was retried, on the same charges, and another two years were added to his punishment.
PEN protests this new and prolonged sentence and would like to point out that Dehah has already served six months on the same charges and should have been released in December 2009.
We would also like to point out that Dehah’s conviction and continued detention is in violation of his right to freedom of expression protected under international human rights treaties to which your country is a party.
We urge you, Mr President, to bring about Mr Dehah’s immediate and unconditional release.
Confident that you will listen to this appeal, I am
Yours sincerely
Aase Gjerdrum
Member of Norwegian PEN
