Mauritanian president pardons 35 islamist prisoners

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz has pardoned 35 islamic fundamentalist prisoners detained at the Nouakchott prison.

Official sources told Xinhua that 15 of those pardoned had already been sentenced.

A decree was issued on Wednesday for their amnesty to mark the Muslim festival of Aid-El-Fitr (end of Ramadhan). The pardon was read by Abidine Ould Elkheir, the Mauritanian justice minister, on behalf of the president.

On Jan. 15, Mauritanian authorities launched dialogue with the detained islamists, after which more than 40 of them repented.

The ulemas (islamic scholars) who had led the dialogue asked the president to pardon them.

None of the prisoners accused of kidnapping or assassinating nationals from the West was released.

There are still more than 30 islamist prisoners, including three sentenced to death for assassinating four French tourists in December 2007 at Aleg, 250 km east of the Nouakchott.

Source: Xinhua