When Mohammed Ould Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir was tried and sentenced to death for blasphemy, apostasy, and hypocrisy, his case did not attract much attention beyond the Islamists calling for his death.
Now, after years of international effort, Mkhaitir has finally gained his freedom. President Aziz released Mkhaitir from captivity as one of his final official acts before leaving office.
Mkhaitir was sentenced to death after a brief trial. Alice Bullard was in Mauritania at that time and took on the challenge of starting a campaign to defend this young blogger. Working with IRA-USA, Bullard sought to build a network to support Mkhaitir while in prison and to pursue an appeal of his sentence in Mauritania. Bullard also brought Mkhaitir’s case into the international arena. Through her advocacy, she succeeded in bringing Mkhaitir’s case to Freedom Now, and then further to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. From there, Mkhaitir’s case grew to greater notoriety so that just prior to his release as many as six U.N. Special Rapporteurs were simultaneously pressuring the Mauritanian government to free Mkhaitir.
Fatimata M’Baye, Mauritania’s first woman lawyer and dedicated human rights advocate, argued Mkhaitir’s appeal, which was successful. However, even though his death sentence was reversed and he faced no further charges, Mkhaitir remained in unlawful detention.
We are deeply grateful that Mkhaitir has finally been released from custody. However, we remain concerned that the laws in Mauritania have become more rigid. Mkhaitir benefited from the ability to appeal his death sentence. In the wake of his successful appeal, a revised law removed the provision that allowed appealing conviction for blasphemy, apostasy and hypocrisy.
The next person to fall afoul of limits to freedom of expression and freedom of conscience in Mauritania will not be as fortunate as Mkhaitir.
