Mr. Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres
Allow me to send you my most respectful greetings as a native Mauritanian living abroad, but deeply attached to my country, to democracy and to the respect of Human Rights.
I would like to draw your attention to the extremely worrying events that followed the presidential election in Mauritania on June 29, 2024. This election was marred by massive and flagrant electoral fraud, compromising the integrity of the democratic process and the legitimacy of the results. It is crucial to recall that this election was held while more than 120,000 black Mauritanians were disenfranchised, victims of systematic biometric exclusion.
It is also relevant to note the absence of polling stations in Senegal and Mali, a decision which seems to have been taken by the ruling military authorities, aware of the majority opposition of Mauritanians residing in these countries to their racist and slave-owning policies.
Since the announcement of the results, political repression against opposition activists has reached alarming levels. It is with deep sadness that I learned of the death under torture of more than four young citizens in Kaédi, in the south of Mauritania, as well as the arrest followed by torture of more than forty young people. These barbaric and inhuman acts reflect the authoritarian drift of the current regime and its total disregard for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
As a defender of the values of justice, democracy and respect for human rights, I feel compelled to send you this open letter to condemn these unacceptable practices in the strongest possible terms, and to call on the international community, and in particular the United Nations, to intervene in order to put an end to this brutal repression and restore democratic order in Mauritania.
I urge you, Mr. Secretary General, to take into consideration my protest and to act accordingly to protect the rights and freedoms of Mauritanian citizens who aspire to live in a country that is free, democratic and respectful of human dignity.
Yours sincerely
Abdarahmane Wone
Pan-Africanist and human rights activist
