PPF welcomes the release of Mauritanian journalists | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

PPF welcomes the release of Mauritanian journalists

Pakistan Press Foundation

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) in a letter to Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President of Mauritania has welcomed the release of two senior journalists after eight days imprisonment.

PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali in his letter welcomed the release of journalists and praised the media fraternity of Mauritania for its unity. PPF also condemned this aggressive act by police and asked it to return the seized computers and equipment of the journalists.

According to Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), on August 8, two journalists Mahmoudi Ould Saibout, Director of Publication of Taqadoum and Babacar Baye N’diaye, the Editor-in-Chief and webmaster of Cridem, a renowned news website were arrested for publishing defamatory content.

Jemal Taleb, a France based Mauritanian filed a defamation complaint and it narrated an article by the French online magazine Mondeafrique.com which was re-published by two media organizations.

Babacar’s arrest is more disturbing because after the complaint his news organization issued an apology and withdrew sections of the article which were considered to be inaccurate.

The police on August 10 raided the homes of both journalists and also the offices of Cridem. They took away the computers from offices while journalist’s headsets were also seized.

The journalists were released on August 15, after two days of sit-ins and protests by media organizations near the premises of the criminal investigations department of the police.

https://www.sierraleonetimes.com/news/257866682/ppf-welcomes-the-release-of-mauritanian-journalists

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