Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08NOUAKCHOTT718
2008-12-04 14:22:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Nouakchott
Cable title:  

MEDIA FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION TAKES A STEP BACKWARD

Tags:  KPAO KDEM PROP MR 
pdf how-to read a cable
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NOUAKCHOTT 000718 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/02/2018
TAGS: KPAO KDEM PROP MR
SUBJECT: MEDIA FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION TAKES A STEP BACKWARD

REF: A. NOUAKCHOTT 696

B. NOUAKCHOTT 707

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Dennis Hankins for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NOUAKCHOTT 000718

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/02/2018
TAGS: KPAO KDEM PROP MR
SUBJECT: MEDIA FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION TAKES A STEP BACKWARD

REF: A. NOUAKCHOTT 696

B. NOUAKCHOTT 707

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Dennis Hankins for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).


1. (SBU) Summary: After a "honeymoon" period of press
freedom during the democratic transition of 2005-2007 and
President Abdallahi's time in office, a marked decline has
occurred since the August 6 coup led by General Aziz.
State-run media is as tightly controlled as ever, and online
web sites have been subjected to cyberattacks. Mauritania's
most recent Reporters Without Borders press freedom ranking
has plummeted as a result. Although some critical articles
continue to appear in the press, the High State Council
(military junta) has sent a clear message that there are
limits to what can be said, and by whom. End summary.


2. (C) An historical overview: Post enjoys an unusually
friendly and cordial relationship with the media. Many
editors and journalists have been past International Visitors
to the United States, and are current members of the
Mauritanian Alumni Association in Nouakchott. Prior to the
democratic transition beginning in 2005, anti-American pieces
appeared frequently in the Mauritanian press, and post had
even set an MPP goal to reduce the number of negative press
articles appearing in local media. Before 2005, the US
Embassy had no Public Affairs Section and anti-American
articles appeared on a daily basis in the local press. With
no PD presence or community outreach, and limited government
ties due to the repressive dictatorship, such negative press
continued. However, with the advent of post's first PAO and
the CMJD-led transition of April 2005 to March 2007, which
many journalists refer to as the "honeymoon period" in press
freedom, more balanced journalism with respect to the US had
become the norm. In an informal meeting with PAO on November
10, notable Mauritanian journalist and novelist Bios Diallo
(protect) did not want to speak about current politics but
confirmed that for journalists, the CMJD-led transition
period was the best time -- the most freedom of expression
that the country had ever known. This period of open
expression continued during President Abdallahi's time in
office, though not to the degree many attribute to the

transition era.


3. (C) The honeymoon period ends: Since the August 6 coup
led by General Aziz, a clear regression in press liberty has
occurred. Websites that offer varying perspectives have been
shut down or disrupted, and state-sponsored media firmly tows
the party line. In an informal meeting with PolAsst, TV
Mauritanie journalist Malika Nekli (protect) confirmed the
rigid control that the station is subject to under the High
State Council. She painted a picture of HSC-designated
appointees at the top pulling the strings, with the employees
forced to do their bidding. Nevertheless, she said amongst
themselves, some employees described the nightly routine of
putting together news reports on General Aziz as "doing the
song", that is, going through the motions. Comment: This
passive resistance to the strict controls under which the
employees operate shows that they are fully aware of the
one-sided picture they are compelled to present to the
populace. End comment.


4. (C) The nascent online press comes under attack: A
blatant demonstration of the limits on expression came when
two popular online news sites were attacked. The first site,
Saharamedia.net, suffered an attack in early November when
visitors to the site were redirected to an Israeli news site.
Saharamedia.net was forced to change its domain name to
Saharamedias.net to finally enable readers to access the
site. The second site to be attacked was Anbaa.info, a news
site with strong anti-coup leanings run by a Mauritanian
living in Canada. On November 5, the site posted a story
about corruption and sex scandals at the "highest levels" of
Mauritanian society, implicating unnamed senior military
leaders, members of the senate, and businessmen. The site
claimed to have proof of the misdeeds (including photographic
evidence). The next day, the site was completely
inaccessible. The site returned to more or less normal
operation November 7, and posted a story saying an "internal

NOUAKCHOTT 00000718 002 OF 003


sabotage operation" caused the outage. To this date, the
supposed evidence of corruption has not been posted on the
site. Comment: An element of tribal score settling may have
been at work in the Saharamedia.net attack (the owners of the
site belong to a tribe that was supportive of deposed
President Abdallahi). A very well-connected LES obtained
information that a Mauritanian living in the US gave money to
a Hakem (regional prefect) to finance the attack. As for the
Anbaa.info incident, rumors abound that the Mauritanian
intelligence services either perpetrated the attack directly,
or indirectly by hiring out hackers overseas. Regardless of
the source of these attacks, it is clear that any story
deemed too extreme can expose an entire news site to a
crippling attack that can last for days at a time. End
comment.


5. (C) Mauritania's press freedom ranking plunges: The
October 22, 2008 release of the Reporters Without Borders
Annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index saw Mauritania shoot
down 55 slots from the previous year to number 105. In 2007,
Mauritania was ranked at number 50, having climbed 88 places
since 2004 -- in fact being hailed as among the most free
press in the Arab world. A protest in front of state-run
Radio Mauritanie on October 30 highlighted growing internal
unrest with the curbing of press freedom. In addition, a
petition entitled "A Call for the Respect for Freedom of
Expression in Mauritania", published November 10 on the
French-language news website CRIDEM, boasted almost 400
signatures. That same day, PAO met with recently returned
International Visitor Diadie Camara (protect),who works for
state-run Radio Mauritanie. He was in the US for the
November 4 election, after having extended his trip following
participation in the 2008 Edward R. Murrow program for
journalists. He told PAO how he tried to send broadcasts on
the elections from the US back to the radio station for
airing, but the junta-appointed radio director Ould Bouke
refused to put his reports on the air.


6. (SBU) Resilience of independent voices: Despite these
regressions in press liberty, repressed voices are being
heard. A sensationalist front page editorial on November 11
in the respected French-language weekly "Le Calame" was a
prime example of this. Entitled "Neo-Terrorism," the
editorial highlighted a kind of "intellectual terrorism"
going on in the media that was "robbing politicians,
journalists and civil society members from exercising their
critical judgment." The editorial continued, "Doesn't
democracy signify, above all, freedom of expression?" It
referred back to the repressive Taya years when newspapers
were censured and seized, and concluded that "it is the work
of the conscientious journalist" to "not allow the word of
the people to be muffled."


7. (SBU) Comment: All of this points to a rising
consciousness in the Mauritanian public about the regression
in liberty that has taken place since the coup of August 6,

2008. The fact that the Millennium Challenge Corporation
press release received both positive and negative responses,
and subjective and objective coverage, is further evidence of
the actual existence of freedom of expression, plurality of
views and potentially more hope than many claim. Press
liberty is most apparent in the French written press but that
is targeted mainly for Mauritania's elites or, as President
Abdallahi told Charge, "for the diplomats." Arabic press is
less open but still has flashes of independence. State media
is solidly blocked in a country with no private radio or
television. We find very interesting the role of
cyber-journalism in the current context with most Mauritania
watchers checking websites rather than pares for Mauritania
news. The ability of these websites to reach computer cafes
throughout the country is not lost on the regime -- hence the
cyber attacks.


8. (SBU) It remains to be seen in the coming weeks, however,
whether more websites will be disrupted or shut down, and how
the state-run media will respond to the unfolding political
crisis. The November 13 release of deposed President
Abdallahi to his home village, his first Al Jazeera
international media interview, and his speech to the nation
on the Al Arabiya satellite channel (see Ref A) initially

NOUAKCHOTT 00000718 003 OF 003


indicated a sign of media opening on the part of the HSC.
However, on Mauritanian National Day (November 28),Abdallahi
was prevented from meeting with journalists and delivering a
speech to the nation (see Ref B). Furthermore, Al Arabiya's
Mauritania correspondent was reportedly harassed by HSC
members recently in Zouerate because of his network's airing
of Abdallahi's address, and a newspaper editor was deported
from Abu Dhabi and jailed on a criminal libel charge for a
story that challenged powerful businessman (and suspected
junta financier) Mohamed Hmayenne Bouamatou. Although the
libel case predates the coup, it is further evidence of
inter-clan rivalries and the score-settling campaign
undertaken by the HSC. All these developments indicate
growing HSC reluctance to permit freedom of expression when
it dares to challenge their authority or interests. End
comment.

HANKINS