A 30 April 2008 Reuters article states that a man was convicted in absentia in Mauritania in June 2007 during a trial of people suspected of attempting to establish a "pro-al Qaeda group." He was convicted for the possession of illegal arms and fraudulent documents, and received a sentence of two years (Reuters 30 Apr. 2008).

Further information on in absentia convictions or sentences in Mauritania could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Reference

Reuters. 30 April 2008. Vincent Fertey. "Mauritania Captures Eight al Qaeda Suspects." (Factiva)

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: The Canadian Embassy in Rabat, the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) in Banjul, Juriglobe in Ottawa, and New York University School of Law in New York did not respond to requests for information within the time constraints of this Response.

Internet sources, including: Al Bawaba, AllAfrica.com, Amnesty International (AI), British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), European Country of Origin Information Network (ecoi.net), Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch, Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), International Crisis Group, JuriGlobe, Jurist, Legalbrief Today, Open Society Justice Inititative, Pambazaka News, World Legal Information Institute.