Mauritania: former president Ould Abdel Aziz detained
The former President of Mauritania, Ould Abdel Aziz, is being held "arbitrarily" under "abusive" prison conditions, claim his lawyers. This contradicts the claims made by official news reports.
According to the Mauritanian News Agency, Ould Abdel Aziz
refused to receive a delegation from the National Mechanism for the Prevention
of Torture (MNP), which said that he is being held in "satisfactory"
conditions. The visit by the MNP had been arranged in order "to review the
conditions" of the former president's detention "and ensure that his
rights are fully respected."
Mauritania's National Human Rights Committee has also
declared that his detention conditions are "typical and in conformity with
the law." Abdel Aziz refused to meet with the committee's officials as
well.
His defence lawyers maintain that their client is "held
in arbitrary solitary confinement." They told journalists that the former
president "has been denied family visits, and deprived of exercise,
sunlight and access to the news." His detention, they added, is
"against the law."
The former president was transferred to prison on 22 June
after being accused of violating the terms of his house arrest. He is charged
with corruption, money laundering and illicit enrichment. Ould Abdel Aziz
denies the charges.
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