VZCZCXRO9083
PP RUEHPA RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNK #0078/01 0391510
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 081510Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY NOUAKCHOTT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9082
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUCNMGH/MAGHREB COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NOUAKCHOTT 000078 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2015 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM MR
SUBJECT: ALERTING MAURITANIAN GOVERNMENT TO PROBABLE 
CRITICISM OF HANEVY CONVICTION 
 
REF: NOUAKCHOTT 75 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Mark M. Boulware for reasons 1.4 (b and d) 
 
¶1.  (C) Ambassador met February 8 with Foreign Minister Naha 
Mint Mouknass and raised concern over the February 4 
conviction of internet journalist Hanevy Ould Dahah (REFTEL). 
 The Ambassador noted that he had raised the case previously 
with the Foreign Minister, Justice Minister and Prime 
Minister.  He also noted that the case had recently been 
subject to a Wall Street Journal editorial and that Secretary 
Clinton has made internet freedom one of her key policy 
objectives.  The Ambassador noted that the Hanevy case had 
been a subject of significant concern raised by many offices 
during his recent consultations in Washington.  While not 
presuming to be able to interpret Mauritanian law and 
procedure, the Ambassador noted that numerous national and 
international organizations had claimed the arrest, detention 
and conviction of Hanevy were all inconsistent with 
Mauritanian law.  Regardless of the legal fine points, the 
perception abroad is that the Hanevy case demonstrates a lack 
of respect for rule of law or for freedom of expression on 
the part of the Mauritanian government.  The Ambassador 
stressed that the case was becoming a policy obstacle for 
partners who wanted to re-engage with the Mauritanian 
Government and that allowing the case to persist did not 
appear to bee in Mauritania's greater interests.  The 
Ambassador told the Minister he fully expected there would be 
some public statement by the USG voicing concern over the 
case. 
 
¶2.  (C) The Foreign Minister received the Ambassador's 
message calmly and acknowledged that the government (as most 
previous Mauritanian governments) had done a particularly 
poor communications job that had allowed criticism of the 
case to build.  She argued "if everyone understood the 
foundation of the case, there wouldn't be all these 
problems."  Noting she was not a lawyer either, she 
acknowledged that there were public complaints over the 
legality of the processing of the case.  She understood that 
there are at least eighteen other criminal complaints against 
Hanevy which she understood allowed for his continued 
incarceration between the end of his last sentence and his 
current conviction. 
 
¶3.  (C) The Minister forcefully attacked Hanevy as an 
unscrupulous and unsound rumor-monger whose righting 
reflected "10 percent political analysis and 90 percent 
personal attacks and rumor mongering."  Herself a frequent 
target of his attacks (although they have never met), the 
Minister related having to explain to her mother that 
disgusting accusations about her personal life were not true. 
 The Minister warned, "if he were released today and 
continued to write as he did in the past, he would soon be 
dead," suggesting one of the victims of his slander would 
eliminate him in an honor killing. 
 
¶4.  (C) Mouknass claimed that President Aziz was committed to 
freedom of expression.  He had specifically rejected those 
who urged that he shut down Hanevy's Taqadoumy website 
insisting he would not limit the right of the media to 
criticize but also noting he would hold journalists 
responsible for what they wrote.  Mouknass said Aziz had met 
with Reporters Without Borders in Paris and had sought their 
assistance in helping Mauritania fill the legal void 
concerning internet press in such a way that would both 
preserve freedom of expression but also establish standards 
of media conduct.  The Ambassador noted that a sincere effort 
to reach out to the media to tackle this difficult issue 
would be very useful. 
 
¶5.  (C) The Minister said she would discuss the Hanevy case 
with the Minister of Justice to better educate herself on the 
legal details of the case and that she would follow up with 
Reporters Without Borders to pursue the internet freedom 
initiative. 
 
¶6.  (C) Comment and Action Request:  Mauritanian officials 
like Mouknass continue to focus on Hanevy's loose and 
slanderous journalistic still and avoid talking about whether 
the Government's prosecution met legal and procedural 
standards.  The personal animosity against Hanevy overcomes 
concerns about due process to the extent that they are 
undermining the government's already tenuous international 
image.  The Mission has tried to no avail to deal with the 
case through forceful, but private, diplomatic contacts. 
Continued silence will now be seen as tacit approval.  Post 
recommends that the Department issue a statement of concern 
along the following lines: 
 
"The United States was greatly concerned to learn that 
 
NOUAKCHOTT 00000078  002 OF 002 
 
 
internet journalist Hanevy Ould Dahah was found guilty on 
February 4th of 'incitement to rebellion, contempt, and 
violating decency" in a controversial second trial when he 
had already more than served his original sentence of six 
months.  Mauritanian and international observers have cited a 
number of irregularities in the handling of this case 
including Ould Dahah's continued detention after completing 
his sentence.   We call on the Government of the Islamic 
Republic of Mauritania to scrupulously respect due process in 
this case in order to demonstrate its commitment to freedom 
of expression and the rule of law." 
 
Mission is prepared to release such a statement locally, but 
we believe it will have significantly greater impact and 
influence if issued by Washington. 
BOULWARE