AMBASSADOR RAISES HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNS WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NOUAKCHOTT 000823

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/29/2014
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV MR
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR RAISES HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNS WITH
FOREIGN MINISTER

Classified By: Ambassador Mark M. Boulware for reasons 1.4(b and d)


1. (C) Summary: The Ambassador conveyed concerns that lack
of respect for due process in the prosecution of corruption
and slander cases -- regardless of the merits of the case --
will negatively affect Mauritania's human rights image which,
in turn, may inhibit the expansion of partnerships with the
U.S. and other partners. The Foreign Minister took the point
but did not provide much hope the Government would take
actions to repair damage to its human rights image. End
Summary.


2. (C) "Help Us Help You" Ambassador took advantage of a
December 27 meeting with Foreign Minister Naha Mint Mouknass
to raise concerns over the perceived lack of due process in
the handling of a slander case against prominent website
editor Hanevy Ould Dahah and corruption cases against three
prominent Mauritanian businessmen. The Ambassador noted that
Hanevy had not been released following the six month sentence
he had served for violating "public decency." The processing
of charges against the three businessmen did not appear to
follow Mauritanian legal practice. The Ambassador stressed
it was not our place to argue the guilt or innocence of the
accused (indeed, the likelihood of substantial financial
wrongdoing by the businessmen seemed obvious). Our concern
was that lack of respect for due process diverted attention
to the merits of the case to a discussion of Mauritania's
human rights practices. The Ambassador underscored that the
2008 coup d'etat had effectively blocked Mauritanian access
to key programs like the Millennium Challenge Account because
of the negative impact on good governance indicators
maintained by Freedom House and the World Bank. The
Ambassador urged the Government to handle the cases with
transparency and strict adherence to Mauritanian legal
procedure. He noted that the 2009 Human Rights Report would,
of necessity, handle the two cases in a negative fashion if
there was not some positive action before the end of the
calendar year.


3. (C) "Yes -- but..." The Foreign Minister said she
appreciated the way in which the Ambassador raised his
concerns and accepted that the media attention around the two
cases was having a negative impact on the Government's image.
That said, she provided little indication the Government
would resolve the problem.


4. (C) Irresponsible Journalism: She saw Hanevy as an
irresponsible and slanderous journalist who undermined the
credibility of all Mauritanian media. She noted that she had
been a victim herself of repeated attacks on her personal
life (Comment: These have included rumors of having slept
with a host of powerful politicians including Qaddhafi and
rumors of a sex video of the Minister with one of Aziz's main
political backers. End Comment). She doubted that six
months in prison will change Hanevy's journalistic style and
suggested "he has to be careful. I can accept these kinds of
attacks, but there are conservative, illiterate desert
tribesmen in my family who would likely settle accounts their
own way and without my knowledge if he were to insult my
person again." The Minister suggested she was surprised
herself that Hanevy had not been released at the end of his
sentence but noted (in what we assume may be the government's
tactic) that there had been 17 complaints against Hanevy when
he was detained and that several more had since been filed.
She held out the possibility that Hanevy may face further
prosecution having served time for only a single complaint.


5. (C) The Biggest Thieves: The Minister said the
Government had received multiple appeals to release the
accused businessmen but countered that, "everyone ignores
that these people stole (millions of dollars) from the
Mauritanian people. Nobody seems to care when someone who
steals to feed himself is detained, but they are all
concerned about these biggest of thieves." She recognized
that the politicization of the case had increased the
pressure but said, "we are building the foundation (of a
corruption-free government),so these first few blocks have
to be solidly planted." Mouknass suggested leading
opposition political leaders were making a tactical mistake
of allying themselves with the businessmen's cause since the
common Mauritanian will see them as defending those who stole
from the people. While affirming the desirability of taking
on corruption, Ambassador noted that to be successful such
efforts had to be seen as transparent and apolitical.


6. (C) Comment: Post will be reporting SEPTEL on these
cases. The case of journalist Hanevy Ould Dahah is of
greatest concern since it seems most clearly related to the
settling of accounts with the editor of the most virulent
anti-coup / anti-Aziz website in Mauritania. It is true that
Hanevy's "TAQADOUMY" website often runs stories of dubious

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credibility. Indeed, Mauritanian cyber-journalists admit
that the requirement to get a story out instantaneously
before the competition precludes the chance for even the
rudimentary fact-checking of print media. That said,
pro-Aziz media is equally loose with the truth and the Hanevy
case can only be seen as retaliation against the President's
biggest media critic and a warning to other journalists. The
businessmen pose a similar problem. Like almost anyone of
wealth or power in Mauritania, it is almost a given that they
are corrupt. The three involved are perhaps among the
biggest but there are many others. As all three come from
clans that opposed Aziz during the coup, the charge of
political settling of scores is inevitable. While even the
accused lawyers will privately admit wrong doing by their
clients, the opposition is successfully showing errors in
judicial procedure that make the discussion more about Aziz'
settling of scores instead of the substantial wrongdoing of
the businessmen. End Comment.
BOULWARE