A Mauritanian appeals court Thursday reduced the death penalty for a blogger accused of blasphemy to a two-year jail term, a legal source said, after a case that has drawn protests from rights watchdogs.<\/p>\n
Cheikh Ould Mohamed Ould Mkheitir, who will be released as he has been in custody since January 2014, was also fined 60,000 ouguiyas (146 euros, $169) by the court in northwestern Nouadhibou, the source said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great victory. The law has been pronounced and religion has been respected,\u201d said one of his lawyers, Fatimata Mbaye.<\/p>\n
Mkheitir, a Muslim in his thirties who is also known as Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mohamed, was sentenced to death in December 2014.<\/p>\n
His blog was accused of questioning decisions taken by the Prophet Mohammed and his companions during holy wars in the seventh century.<\/p>\n
He also attacked the mistreatment of the country\u2019s black population, blasting \u201can iniquitous social order\u201d with an underclass that was \u201cmarginalised and discriminated against from birth.\u201d<\/p>\n
On April 21 2016, the court of appeal confirmed the death penalty, but reclassified the crime from blasphemy to \u201cunbelieving,\u201d for which the punishment is less if the defendant repents.<\/p>\n
The case was then sent to the Supreme Court, which on January 31 this year sent it back to the appeals court \u201cin order to correct mistakes made,\u201d without elaboration.<\/p>\n
AFP<\/p>\n
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