Apostasy Archives - Committee to Protect Journalists

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (right) casts his ballot on June 22, 2019, at a polling station in Nouakchott during the presidential election. Mauritania freed blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed, who had been imprisoned since 2014, on July 29, 2019. (AFP/Sia Kambou)

Mauritania finally frees blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed

July 30, 2019 11:22 AM EDT

Washington D.C., July 30, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed relief that Mauritanian blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed is free and safely out of the country. Mohamed was released yesterday and left Mauritania, according to news reports, citing his lawyer and official government news sources.

CPJ calls on Mauritania government to release blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed

February 20, 2019 12:55 PM EST

CPJ calls on Mohamedoun Daddah, Mauritania’s ambassador to the United States, to meet to discuss the wrongful imprisonment of blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed, who was scheduled to be released in late 2017.

Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz addresses the Sustainable Development Summit Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015, at the United Nations headquarters. Protesters have called for President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz to punish freelance blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed for an article he wrote that the protesters claim is blasphemous. (AP/Frank Franklin II)

Mauritanian authorities change legal code, could retry Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed

November 20, 2017 4:40 PM EST

New York, November 20, 2017–Mauritanian authorities on November 16 approved an amendment to the country’s penal code that could allow courts to retroactively retry freelance blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed, who was convicted of blasphemy in 2014, and potentially re-sentence him to death, the state-owned news agency AMI and Agence France-Pressereported. The Committee to Protect…

Mauritanian appeals court upholds death sentence for blogger

April 21, 2016 5:39 PM EDT

New York, April 21, 2016– An appeals court in Nouadhibou today upheld the death sentence for Mauritanian blogger and freelance journalist Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed, who was convicted of apostasy in 2014 for an article he wrote, according to news reports.

In Mauritania, blogger sentenced to death for apostasy

December 26, 2014 2:06 PM EST

New York, December 26, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned the death sentence handed down Wednesday to Mauritanian blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed on apostasy charges in connection to an article he published a year ago.