Mauritania President grants grace to two deputies, sparking amnesty debate

President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania exercised his constitutional power of presidential grace to release two members of parliament, Ghamou Achour Salem and Mariem Cheikh Samba Dieng, from detention. The decision ends their immediate imprisonment but does not erase their convictions, which remain on their criminal records.

Legal analysts and opposition figures stress that presidential grace differs from an amnesty: grace can reduce or cancel a sentence, whereas amnesty, enacted by the legislature, nullifies the offence and restores full civil and political rights. Critics argue that the grace granted does not fully redress what they describe as a politically motivated trial, and they are calling for a legislative amnesty to completely clear the deputies’ records and restore their rights.