The Islamic Republic of Mauritania continues to face significant human rights challenges, despite the reforms undertaken and the strengthening of its institutional framework. According to the findings of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Mauritanian Association for Human Rights (AMDH), the persistence of slavery, discrimination, restrictions on civil liberties, and difficulties in accessing justice remains a serious concern. The priority now lies in the effective implementation of commitments made and the guarantee of fundamental rights for all.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania finds itself at a crucial juncture in its history to consolidate the rule of law and ensure the full protection of human rights.

However, despite the adoption of several reforms and the gradual strengthening of its institutional framework, the reality remains marked by a significant gap between the official commitments of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the implementation of the international conventions it has signed and ratified.

The findings of the joint report by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Mauritanian Association for Human Rights (AMDH) show, in particular, that civil liberties remain fragile and that several segments of the population continue to face violations of their rights or insufficient protection of their rights.

This situation raises the question of the institutions’ actual capacity to translate legal advances into concrete guarantees for citizens.

The exercise of civil, political, and economic rights remains restricted.

Restrictions on peaceful demonstrations, pressure exerted on journalists, and legal proceedings against human rights defenders are evidence of a hostile environment where critical expression remains at risk. In addition to these issues, there are structural problems that particularly affect vulnerable people.

These include:
– the persistence of slavery despite its legal prohibition,
– shortcomings in the protection of women and girls,
– violations of the rights of migrants and refugees,
– the continued use of the death penalty despite a moratorium on its application since 1987.

Beyond these specific violations, the report highlights a deeper weakness:

the gap between the existence of protection mechanisms and their capacity to produce results.

The fight against impunity and addressing the country’s humanitarian legacy remain pressing concerns. These are challenges that must be met to restore the trust of victims and enable genuine transitional justice.

Human rights institutions, for their part, must have sufficient resources and independence to effectively carry out their missions. Without these guarantees, reforms risk remaining largely formal, and victims of human rights violations will continue to face obstacles in accessing justice.

Upon analysis, the main challenge for the Islamic Republic of Mauritania lies not in adopting new standards, but in ensuring the independent, transparent, and verifiable application of existing ones.

Strengthening the rule of law necessarily involves the effective protection of civil, political, and economic rights by putting an end to:

– unjustified, unfounded, and unjustified legal proceedings clearly based on ethnicity or race;

– slavery;
– discrimination;
– the inaccessibility of victims to fair justice.

The issue of past humanitarian injustices must also be addressed as a national priority, as the lack of an adequate response to past and even present social injustices and human rights violations continues to weaken and permanently erode trust in institutions.

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania’s place in the international community necessarily depends on the effective abolition of the endemic and centuries-old practice of slavery.

It also lies in its genuine capacity to end documented and proven ethnic and racial discrimination.

The right to vote and the right to be elected must be guaranteed for all citizens to allow victims of slavery and other vulnerable groups, who constitute the majority, to access decision-making positions and thus ensure respect for their fundamental and inalienable rights.

We firmly believe that international human rights organizations must support this effort.

We firmly believe that international human rights organizations must support Mauritanian reforms while maintaining independent and continuous monitoring of their implementation.

The credibility of the commitments made by the Islamic Republic of Mauritania regarding respect for human rights will be measured less by the number of texts adopted than by their concrete impact on the lives and freedoms of the population.