#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.

Inner-Workings of A Police State

 

Crime: Wearing Hijab

 

This is a summary translation of a surveillance report (the picture above) found after the fall of Ben Ali’s regime in Tunisia. I found it through my friend Saudi reporter Hassan Al-Mustafa’s twitter feed.

I could have written a long detailed analysis of what is behind this, but I choose not to.The document speaks for itself.

3/21/2009

[Header]

Interior and Local Development Ministry

General Directorate of National Security

General Directorate of Public Security

SECRET

[handwritten] Ha 222

Report

Re: arrest of a girl wearing hijab “Rawda Ben Attiya”

Authority-based on: administrative order number 1120/SAM dated 10/06/2002 and message from General Directorate of Public Security number 1355 S A dated 11/27/2003

In accordance to the above mentioned directives whose purpose is to dutifully increase actions against the different forms of extremism in order to preserve our society’s character by:

-cracking down on followers of extremist religious groups;

• aborting their attempts to organize and operate through stricter controls of:

individuals wearing sectarian outfits, bearded men, individuals selling amulets, books, suspect books, activities of the Dawa & Tabligh group, mosques, prayers spaces and activities of Salafis.

It is my honor to inform you that on 03/18/2009 a girl wearing a hijab was detained. Her name is Rawda Ben Attiya born in the city of Seliana, residing in Beni Khiar. After investigation, [we learned] that she performed her religious duties regularly and she was informed that she needed to stop wearing the sectarian outfit [Hijab]. She acquiesced to said request.

An incident report was filed on the matter and archived [here], [the report’s] number is 179 on 02/18/2009

ID Card Data:

Rawda Ben Mohamed Ben Attiya, Tunisian citizen, born on 10/12/1985, female. Mother: Aisha Ben Gamra, married and residing in Beni Khiar

Filed for your information, the matter is still being pursued.

[illegible Signature]

54/ MN

Sent to Mr: R M A W N

[Stamp]

SECRET