Mauritanian journalists arrested for libel

24 Jul 08 | Africa

Journalist Mohamed Ould Abdelatif and publisher Mohamed Nema Oumar were arrested on 21 July, accused of libelling three judges. The arrests followed an article in the privately owned Arabic weekly al Hurriya about criminal appeal judges accepting bribes for the release of alleged drug traffickers. The article also claimed the judges were ‘known for their great experience of corruption’. It is the latest in a series of arrests of journalists where the media regulator’s authority was bypassed. (more…)