Washington D.C., July 30, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today expressed relief that Mauritanian blogger Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed is free and safely out of the country. Mohamed was released yesterday and left Mauritania, according to news reports, citing his lawyer and official government news sources.
“For the first time in almost five years, Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed does not fear for his life, inside or outside his prison cell,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Coordinator Sherif Mansour. “The pain and serious damage to his health that he has endured simply for expressing an opinion online should never be repeated.”
CPJ has advocated for Mohamed’s release since his arrest in 2014, including featuring him in the Free the Press campaign.