A court in Mauritania has sentenced 28 year old journalist
Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir to death for apostasy for criticizing Prophet
Muhammed. According to Reuters, the journalist was sentenced by a court in the
northwestern city of Nouadhibou for an article he published almost a year ago,
questioning some of the decisions Prophet Mohammed took during holy wars.
Some folks saw the article which he posted online and appeared on a number of
websites and called for his arrest. He was arrested on January 2nd 2014 after
the article sparked street protests and has been in custody ever since. When he
appeared in court, he pleaded not guilty, telling the court that it was 'not
his intention to harm the prophet' but he was still found guilty and sentenced
to death under Sharia law. The prosecutors recommended that he be shot to
death.AFP reported that the blogger fainted when the ruling was read out in court
yesterday Dec. 25th. He was revived and taken to prison. His lawyers say they
will appeal the sentence. According to AFP, Mauritania hasn't executed a prisoner since 1987, and has not
given a death sentence for apostasy since it gained its independence from
France in 1960.
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