Mauritanian freelance journalist Mohamed El-Shankiti was sentenced to six-months in prison in July 2025 on a charge of defamation against the country’s ambassador to Syria.
El-Shankiti, who reports on corruption through his personal Facebook page that has more than 10,000 followers, was arrested on April 14, 2025 following a complaint from the ambassador over an article in which a Saudi businessman alleged the diplomat of financial misconduct.
On July 31, the Criminal Chamber of the Nouakchott West Court handed down the six-month sentence, of which two months were suspended. El-Shankiti was released on August 8, with credit for time served.
According to a local journalist, who spoke with CPJ on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, the prosecution relied on vaguely worded defamation clauses in Mauritanian law to circumvent the press code, which provides protection to journalists.
In July 2025, El-Shankiti, who was the former director of the independent news platform Ajeel, wrote a post on Facebook from prison in which he said he was targeted for his work and because “he chose not to stay silent.”
CPJ’s emailed request for comment from the Mauritanian Ministry of Justice in October 2025 did not receive a response.