Two Mauritania MPs charged with accusing president of racial discrimination
The two women, who are also members of an anti-slavery group, have been under arrest since April 9, 2026, and appeared in court in the capital, Nouakchott, on Monday (April 20), accused of "incitement to hatred", despite having immunity as MPs.
Mohammed Ould Ghazuani, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. (Photo by BERND VON JUTRCZENKA / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP)
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NOUAKCHOTT — Two opposition members of Mauritania's parliament have been charged for accusing the country's president of racial discrimination against black people and the descendants of slaves, a human rights group said on Friday.
Prosecutors said Mariem Cheikh Dieng and Ghamou Achour were also facing charges of "undermining national symbols and spreading racist remarks on social media".
The two women, who are also members of an anti-slavery group, have been under arrest since April 9, 2026, and appeared in court in the capital, Nouakchott, on Monday (April 20), accused of "incitement to hatred", despite having immunity as MPs.
They are accused of having described President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani as the mentor of "apartheid in Mauritania".
Slavery was officially abolished in Mauritania in 1981, but still persists and remains a sensitive subject, even though penalties were stiffened in 2015.
The two opposition blocs in parliament denounced what they called a "flagrant violation" of the MPs' parliamentary immunity.
The head of the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA), to which the two lawmakers belong, called for their immediate release from custody.