Ould Dehah, founder and manager of Taqadoumy, an independent news Web site, was arrested in connection with a defamation complaint filed by Ibrahima Moctar Sarr, head of the Alliance for Justice and Democracy/Movement for Renewal, an opposition party, according to local news reports.
Sarr alleged that Ould Dehah had falsely accused him of purchasing a villa with money from the military junta, Taqadoumy reported. A Nouakchott court sentenced the journalist on August 19 to six months in jail for breaching public decency, according to local news reports, but acquitted him of the defamation charges.
Authorities had targeted Taqadoumy on other occasions for its critical reporting. The Web site was temporarily blocked in March, and its journalists were frequently detained by authorities, CPJ research found.