Madar (Nouakchott) - Yacoub Lemrabet, former rotating chair of the opposition Forces of Salvation coalition, said on Saturday, October 17, 2026, that detainees in the "bloggers abroad" case have been denied rights guaranteed by law, speaking at a coalition press conference in Nouakchott.
He said those held include bloggers, a journalist and relatives of a blogger living abroad. They are "still at the suspicion stage", with their case having reached neither indictment nor referral, and the investigation is being conducted under texts relating to state security and terrorism.
The coalition's position starts from the principle that "any restriction of liberty outside the law is unacceptable", he said, noting that a coalition statement had denounced "violations" of Article 58 of the Code of Criminal Procedure issued by the 2007 ordinance, Article 4 of the anti-torture law and the law governing the legal profession.
According to Lemrabet, the coalition is demanding that families be told where the detainees are held, and that detainees be allowed to inform a relative of their choice, consult lawyers and exercise their right to a defence, rights he said they had been "clearly" denied in recent days.
He called on national and international human rights bodies to shoulder their responsibilities, saying he expected the national bar association to "lead the way".
He added that the conference had also addressed the level of public spending and corruption, saying the "overreach" was not limited to finances but extended to freedoms and "rights violations".
