Human Rights Commissioner: ˈMauritania Has Made Significant Progress in Strengthening the Rule of Law and Consolidating the Values of Democracy, Rights, and Freedomsˈ.
Mr. Sid Ahmed Ould Bennane, the Commissioner for Human Rights, Humanitarian Action, and Relations with Civil Society, said that the human rights situation in Mauritania had seen significant achievements over the past year, consolidating national gains in strengthening the rule of law and institutions and consolidating the values of democracy, rights, and freedoms. He noted that the country had begun implementing the National Strategy for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights 2024-2028.
In a speech delivered on 24 February in Geneva to the 58th session of the Human Rights Council, he added that the legal framework for the protection of human rights in our country had undergone a significant evolution with the promulgation of law 039-2024, which established a court specialized in the fight against slavery, human trafficking, and migrant smuggling. He explained that this law broadened the court’s jurisdiction and brought criminal justice closer to citizens and victims in particular, in addition to law 039-2024 on criminal provisions relating to the migratory system, which filled a legislative gap in the national legal system to combat migrant smuggling.
The Commissioner noted that the climate of appeasement, political openness, dialogue, and consultation adopted by His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, the President of the Republic, had helped to reduce differences between political parties, leading to the holding of transparent and fair presidential elections last June, with full consensus on their rules and principles of conduct.
He reviewed in detail the many and varied measures taken by our country in recent times, including modernizing the judicial sector, developing its infrastructure, improving conditions for its employees, setting up a platform for receiving and processing complaints about human rights violations, creating a fund to support and assist victims of trafficking, and implementing social programs and services, notably those linked to the promotion and development of the health and education sectors.
He recalled the considerable efforts made by Mauritania at the international and regional levels to contribute effectively to the search for solutions to the various sources of conflict in the world, particularly in our regional neighborhood, by welcoming and housing displaced persons and asylum seekers, and by implementing a comprehensive security approach that has made it possible to combat terrorism, extremism, and transnational organized crime.
He added that our presidency of the African Union, which ended on 17 February, and its achievements in many strategic dossiers for the continent are proof of this commitment.
The Human Rights Commissioner reiterated the determination of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to continue supporting all efforts to preserve and maintain human dignity under international standards and available resources.
He stressed that discussion of the human rights situation in the world is meaningless without recalling the suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, which has exceeded all limits, noting that the scenes of mass destruction left by the aggression and the tens of thousands of displaced people, including women, children, and the elderly, are clear proof of the international community’s failure to meet its responsibilities.
He added that the international community must now, more than ever, redouble its efforts to maintain the ceasefire, deliver humanitarian aid in the quantities required, and support relief and reconstruction efforts to put an end to the suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people and open up prospects for a just solution that guarantees the creation of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.