About Mauritania

official name: Islamic Republic of Mauritania
capital: Nouakchott
head of state: President Col. Ely Ould Mohamed Vall (2005)
prime minister: Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar (2005)
state: Military rule. The legal system is based on Islam
population: 3,177,388 (July 2006 est.)
independence: from France in 1960
languages: Hasaniya Arabic (official), Pular, Soninke, Wolof (official), French
religion: Muslim
currency: ouguiya (MRO)

Legal Wise

status of homosexuality: illegal
age of consent: NA
laws covering homosexual activity: Sub-Article 331.3 of the Penal Code of the Federation of French West Africa, of which Mauritania was part before independence in 1960, allowed a maximum imprisonment of three years and a fine of one million francs for sexual acts with a person of the same sex under the age of 21. This Code was enacted in 1947 and retained under Article 60 of the Mauritanian Constitution. (Arno Schmitt and Jehoeda Sofer - "Sexuality and Eroticism Among Males in Moslem Societies") [Presumably this is superceded by the application of Sharia law] ILGA
Some sources say that the death penalty applies if sodomy is committed

background information and government attitudes: It appears that Shari'a law has been introduced. "Even in smaller countries like Yemen and Mauritania, homosexual behavior has become an offense punishable by death" (West & Green - Sociolegal Control of Homosexuality)

Like many of its African counterparts, the Mauritanian regime is a hybrid, combining democratic and authoritarian traits. On the one hand, Mauritania embarked upon a path of political liberalization in 1991, after 31 years of single-party and military rule. The 1991 constitution provided for a pluralist political regime and for the official recognition of universal human rights. For the first time since the year of independence (1960), the country has held an uninterrupted cycle of multiparty elections at the municipal, legislative, and presidential levels.

Independent newspapers have flourished, allowing for an unprecedented degree of public criticism of the government. New actors (i.e., local and transnational nongovernmental organizations [NGOs]) have entered the political field. In addition, the state's violent repression of non-Arabic-speaking minorities (Haalpulaar, Sooninke, and Wolof), which peaked in the 1989-1990 period, has been receding since the mid-1990s. In 2004, under pressure from international organizations, the Mauritanian government and civil society groups approved a "National Plan of Action for Human Rights," which the United
Nations Development Program describes as "the most comprehensive document on the human rights situation in Mauritania to date."

On the other hand, beyond these formal democratic reforms lies another reality. Ancien r�gime elites have maintained their privileged positions at the top of the state and have co-opted many opposition activists. They have successfully perpetuated authoritarian practices and skilfully manipulated the liberalization reforms. For instance, although elections have been organized on a regular basis, the regime has never put itself at risk: The incumbent president, who came to power through a coup in 1984, won all three presidential elections since 1992 in a process generally seen as unfair. Illustrative of such a process, in the most recent presidential election, in November 2003, security forces arrested the president's most serious opponent on the day before the election and again two days after. The government also cracked down on alleged Islamist leaders and organizations, while simultaneously harassing, arresting, and jailing opposition leaders and disbanding opposition parties. For their part, the presidential party and its smaller allies controlled 100 percent of the seats in the National Assembly in 1992, 99 percent in 1996, and 87 percent in 2001.

From Freedom House's Countries at the Crossroads: 2005 A Survey of Democratic Governance www.freedomhouse.org/research/crossroads/2005/mauritania2005.pdf

Communication

main lines in use: 41,000 (2005)
cellular telephones: 745,600 (2005)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 1 (2001).
Radios: 410,000 (2001).
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002).
Televisions: 98,000 (2001).
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 32 (2006)
Internet users: 14,000 (2005)