Islamist detainees transferred to unknown destination in Mauritania

Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - Thirteen Islamist prisoners, including eight who were sentenced to death for belonging to the Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), have been transferred from a prison in Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital, to an unknown destination, PANA reported Tuesday, quoting official sources.

The group of death row inmates who were transferred includes Khadim Ould Seman, believed to be the AQIM leader in Mauritania, as well as Sidi Ould Sidina.

Speculation is rife about where they have been transferred to: Lemgheity in the region of Zouerate, 1000 km north-east of Nouakchott, close to the borders with Algeria and Mali, or Bassiknou, an area bordering Mali, located 1300 km South- east of the capital.

Seman and Sidina were sentenced to death by the criminal court in Nouakchott for the murder of four French tourists 24 Dec. 2007 near Aleg, 250 kilometres South-east of Nouakchott.

The transfer of the inmates has caused a great concern among their families, who have asked human rights organisations to obtain information on the convicts new place of detention.

In a recent report, Amnesty International strongly criticised the conditions in which detainees are living in Mauritanian prisons, which it said were overcrowded.
-0- PANA SAS/JSG/JEN/SEG 24May2011