#Mauritania #April25 Opposition MP’s Join Youth at Police Station Protest

This video was shot today during the ongoing sit-in by the February 25 youth in front of the 4th district police station in Nouakchott where most of their detainees are thought to be held.

The protesters are joined by several opposition MP’s and leaders from the anti-slavery movement.

To an outsider this video is another banal protest, in fact, these very scenes show a new reinvigorated political discourse shaping the youth protest movement. The protesters have internalized the two main clean-break ingredients that allowed the Arab Spring to happen elsewhere:

– A post-ideological culture of civl rights
-A commitment to nonviolence

It’s worth also noting that the youth are camping up as we speak by the police station after they took over the plaza in front of the detention center. According to this blogger’s sources, the police is deliberately avoiding any direct contact with the protesters for fear of provoking a new round of mass protests as yesterday’s.

The government is rattled.

#Mauritania #April25 Detained Youth Leader in his own words

AhmedJiddou.mp4 Watch on Posterous

Ahmed Jiddou, blogger, and February 25 movement activist speaking about his motives to come out to protest.He remains detained in an undisclosed location since his arrest yesterday during the April 25 Day of Rage.
He is a peaceful, nonviolent Mauritanian citizen who was exercising his constitutional right to express his dissent.
Video courtesy of @lissnup

#Mauritania #April25 Detained Youth Movement Members Pictures

These are photos of the February 25 youth movement members who were arrested yesterday April 25, 2011 by the Mauritanian government in Nouakchott during the Day of Rage protest in downtown Nouakchott. Some of them are held in an undisclosed location. The government still refuses to explain the reasons for their detention and their whereabouts.
Mauritania’s police has a long history of beatings, torture and mistreatment of political prisoners and detainees.
To date no human rights organization outside Mauritania has commented, covered or intervened on behalf of the protesters.
Picture courtesy of @Mauritanidem1

#Mauritania #April25 CNN iReport

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-596805

via @Lissnup, a tip of the hat to her all her work supporting the youth in Mauritania. Twitter is indeed the people’s news agency. On another note, when was the last time Mauritania was cover on any American mainstream media outlet?

#Mauritania #April25 Protester Shot by Police in Zoueirate

Video of the protester whose name and age couldn’t be verified by this blogger, shot by the police in the northern city of Zoueirate this morning. The authorities still deny they opened fire. The clashes this morning occurred when the state-owned mining company temping workers stormed a plaza in Zoueirate in order to turn it into a Tahrir Square.
The “hournaliya” (daily paid) workers have been protesting their miserable conditions for weeks. The authorities have pushed their complaints under the rug which led to another clash last week between them and the deputy governor.
Historically, Zoueirate is a hotbed of labor unions in Mauritania, the shooting and killing of workers on strike in 1974 by the government was one of the turning points of Mauritania’s political history. The trauma from that incident still marks people’s memory till today.

#Mauritania #April25 Day of Anger Video

Courtesy of Essirage, this video has a quick roundup of some of the protest yesterday in Nouakchott till noon. The day ended with a violent crack down by the police and the arrest of 8 activists. However, the protest took a more violent turn in the northern city of Zouerate (home to the country’s mining industry) where police opened fire injuring one protester and causing injuries to others. The authorities deny they opened fire.

#Mauritania #April25 Activist Ahmed Jiddou Arrested

Ahmned Jiddou seen in minute 1:06 of this video calling for protest, was arrested today. He has been one of the most active promoters of today’s demonstrations.

No To Corruption-No To Unemployment

This was one of the rallying demands of the February 25 youth protests today in #Mauritania. Photo courtesy of @mauritaniedem1

Youth Chasing Police Today in Nouakchott #Mauritania

Inner-Workings of A Police State: Foreign Ministry

 

Guilt By Association: A State Policy Under Ben Ali

This is a summary translation of a document  (the picture above) found after the fall of Ben Ali’s regime in Tunisia. It is a report from the Tunisian Consul in France to the Interior Ministry asking for instruction about issuing a passport to the daughter of a Tunisian man living in France. The document shows the consul asking for instructions on how to proceed with the passport application given that the little girl’s father is a political refugee in France.

This is how the Ben Ali regime kept a vindictive eye on dissidents living abroad. Even if a tunisian left tunisia, he or she, will still be under surveillance and subjected to the arbitrary rule of Ben Ali. Most importantly, that this document shows the complicity of in Ben Ali’s crimes and abuses in the foreign ministry. The current foreign minister and his predecessor, are as complicit as Ben Ali himself in the repression and terrorization of the people of Tunisia.

Again, I could have written a longer and more detailed analysis of what is behind this, but I choose not to.The document speaks for itself. The banality of evil..

 

 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Consulate of The Republic of Tunisia

Pantin [France]

 

List of documents addressed to

The Minister of Interior and Local Development

(Borders & Aliens Directorate)

Under supervision of the Minister of Foreign Affairs

[Stamp]

000829

Documents	Number	Notes
Passport Application for Bilqees Bousshaqi Born on on 1/27/2009 registered at our service under the number 100528  Supporting documents: -Parent Authorization -Copy of the father’s national ID Card -Copy of father’s residency card -Birth Certificate	1  4	Awaiting your authorization as the father is a political refugee in France.
Total	5

The above mentioned documents were received

Date [Blank]

Signature

Pantin, April 3, 2009

Consul

[Signature & Seal]

Abderazaq Ben Faraj