Muslim clerics urge for blogger's death penalty to be applied.

Record ID: 78529

  • Title: Muslim clerics urge for blogger's death penalty to be applied.
  • Date: 18th November 2016
  • Summary: NOUAKCHOTT, MAURITANIA (NOVEMBER 15, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS STANDING OUTSIDE SUPREME COURT HOLDING BANNERS MORE OF PROTESTERS HOLDING BANNERS AND SHOUTING EXTERIOR BUILDING OF SUPREME COURT SECURITY GUARDS AT GATE OF SUPREME COURT HOUSE BUILDING MORE PROTESTERS HOLDING BANNERS POLICE PICK UP TRUCK PROTESTERS HOLDING BANNERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER SAYING: "We are here in the front of the court supreme, all the people of Mauritania. Our demand, our first demand to execute this criminal. The prophet Mohammed is our honour, nobody has right to talk about him. He is our prophet from our religion Islam. We are demanding, and we are very very demanding that has to be execute, execute." (SOUNDBITE) (French) PROTESTER, HANEFI OULD SAYING: "We are all here to show our support to our prophet, peace be upon him. We ask the court to make an example out of this case and give a harsh sentence in order to discourage all others to insult or say anything negative about our prophet." NOUAKCHOTT, MAURITANIA (NOVEMBER 18, 2016) (REUTERS) VIEWS OF MOSQUE VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING OUTSIDE MOSQUE VARIOUS OF PEOPLE INSIDE MOSQUE PRAYING VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF HEADQUARTERS OF NATIONAL UNION OF IMAMS OF MAURITANIA (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PRESIDENT, NATIONAL UNION OF IMAMS OF MAURITANIA MOHAMED LEMINE MAHUD SAYING: "The government has to stop people like this and those who do similar things. They need to be punished according to sharia law without reservations. This (apostasy case) has been one of the biggest we have seen in the last few years." VARIOUS OF MEN COMING OUT MOSQUE
  • Embargoed: 3rd December 2016 13:22
  • Keywords: Apostasy Blogger Freedom of expression Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir Islam
  • Location: NOUAKCHOTT, MAURITANIA
  • City: NOUAKCHOTT, MAURITANIA
  • Country: Mauritania
  • Topics: Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA00158Z1H7B
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Hundreds of protesters gathered in Mauritania's capital on Tuesday (November 18) outside of the country's supreme court and called on the authorities to execute blogger Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir, who was sentenced to death in 2014 for apostasy after writing a blog post on Islam and racial discrimination.
    Mkhaitir's article touched a nerve in Mauritania, a West African country with deep social and racial divisions, and where the country's caste system remains a sensitive subject.
    He was tried for apostasy and received the death penalty despite having repented and saying his article was misunderstood.
    Many of the protesters called for his death and urged that he should be shown no mercy.
    "We are here in the front of the court supreme, all the people of Mauritania. Our demand, our first demand to execute this criminal. The prophet Mohammed is our honour, nobody has right to talk about him. He is our prophet from our religion Islam. We are demanding, and we are very very demanding that has to be execute, execute," said one unidentified protester.
    "We are all here to show our support to our prophet, peace be upon him. We ask the court to make an example out of this case and give a harsh sentence in order to discourage all others to insult or say anything negative about our prophet," added another protester Hanefi Ould.
    According to the U.S.-based Freedom Now rights group who provide Mkhaitir with legal counsel, the blog post appears to have been the first he published.
    Prior to his arrest, he worked as an engineer for a mining company and was not an activist, Freedom Now said on its website.
    Mauritania has not applied a death penalty since 1987 but on Sunday, the influential Forum of Imams and Ulemas issued a fatwa, or Islamic decree, calling for Mkhaitir to be killed.
    "The government has to stop people like this and those who do similar things. They need to be punished according to sharia law without reservations. This (apostasy case) has been one of the biggest we have seen in the last few years," said President, National Union of Imams of Mauritania, Mohamed Lemine Mahud.
    Rights groups like Amnesty International and Reporters without Borders have campaigned for Mkhaitir's pardon and release.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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