he Mauritanian executive introduced “the protection of national symbols and criminalisation of attacks on the authority of the state and the honour of the citizen” in July 2021 in order to combat “anything that is likely to undermine national unity, respect for national sovereignty and the authority of the state and limit the inappropriate use of social communication platforms.”
The bill was passed by the National Assembly on 9 November, 2021. Debates in the National Assembly were marked by a boycott of the bill by opposition members, who felt that the chairman of the Justice and Defence Committee had not taken their proposed amendments into consideration. The Mauritanian Journalists’ Union (SJM) also called on the government to rework the bill by consulting all stakeholders, including journalists.
Although the explanatory memorandum in the bill refers to the main human rights instruments to which Mauritania is a party, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the text contains several provisions that are contrary to international standards governing online freedom of expression.
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