Detention of Mauritanian abolitionist MP Ghame Salem
Name(s):
Ghame Achour Salem
Status:
Detained
Year of birth:
1979
Profession:
MP at the Mauritanian National Assembly
Nationality:
Mauritanian
Date of arrest:
Ghame Salem is a Mauritanian MP, anti-slavery activist and committed human rights advocate. On April 10, 2026, she hosted a live stream on Facebook to denounce the arrest and disappearance of the abolitionist MP Mariem Dieng the previous evening. A few hours after speaking out, she was violently arrested at her home. Her family went several days without hearing from her, despite repeated attempts to locate her place of detention. On April 20, 2026, she was placed in pre-trial detention. On May 4, 2026, she was sentenced to four years in prison, a sentenced reduced on appeal on July 8, 2026, to two years’ imprisonment.
Ghame Achour Salem is a Mauritanian member of parliament who has been actively involved with the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA). She is a leading advocate for the human rights and dignity of indigenous peoples of African descent.
On the evening of April 9, 2026, the abolitionist MP Mariem Dieng hosted a live on Facebook during which she condemned the discrimination and human rights violations suffered by abolitionist activists from the Haratine community, which has historically been subjected to slavery and marginalisation. Following this live stream, Dieng was violently arrested at her home along with her three-month-old baby.
On April 10, 2026, at around 2 pm, Ghame Salem broadcasted a live on Facebook in which she denounced the arrest and disappearance of her colleague Mariem Dieng and her infant child. She also challenged the legality of the arrest, which took place despite Dieng’s parliamentary immunity. At around 4 pm, armed and hooded men in plain clothes arrived at the MP’s home in two unregistered vehicles. The officers forced Salem into one of the vehicles, in the presence of her husband and children, and refused to tell her family where she was being taken.
Soon after her arrest, the Ministry of Justice issued a statement regarding the arrest of MPs Salem and Dieng. According to the statement, the two MPs allegedly committed acts during their live broadcasts on social media that could constitute criminal offenses. The Ministry considered that the live broadcast of the events constituted a case of flagrante delicto, thereby precluding the application of parliamentary immunity. The statement did not mention the abduction of Mariem Dieng’s baby and did not specify the location where the two members of parliament and the child were being held.
The families and lawyers of Dieng and Salem have repeatedly approached police stations and prosecutors’ offices in Nouakchott to find out where they are being held, to no avail.
On April 16, 2026, MENA Rights Group submitted an urgent appeal to the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) on behalf of the two women and Mariem Dieng’s son.
On April 20, 2026, the CED sent a communication to the Mauritanian authorities, calling on them to clarify without delay the places of detention of Ghame Salem, Mariam Dieng and her infant. On the same day, Dieng and Salem were brought before the public prosecutor at the Nouakchott West Court. Their lawyers were informed and were able to attend the hearing to represent them. Access to the court was, however, restricted to all other persons, notably the families of the two MPs, who have been unable to visit them since their arrest.
The public prosecutor’s office charged Dieng and Salem with “deliberate contempt of national symbols via digital media, and the dissemination of racist remarks intended to undermine civil peace and social cohesion via social media” and “threats and defamation, incitement to gatherings with a view to disrupting public order, slander and defamation, and incitement to violence.” At the end of the hearing, the prosecutor ordered their remand in custody pending trial.
Ghame Salem was transferred to the women’s prison before being admitted to the hospital due to health problems.
On April 29, 2026, MENA Rights Group submitted a complaint to the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Committee on the human rights of parliamentarians, requesting that it intervene with the Mauritanian authorities on behalf of Mariem Dieng and Ghame Salem.
On May 4, 2026, the Criminal Court of Nouakchott West issued its first-instance ruling in the case of Ghame Salem and Mariem Dieng. The two MPs were sentenced to four years in prison, along with the closure of their social media accounts and pages and the imposition of a fine. Ghame Salem was transferred back to the women’s prison.
The lawyers were only summoned to the trial the day before. After challenging the court’s jurisdiction without being heard, the defence team chose to withdraw from the proceedings, considering that their presence would merely lend an appearance of fairness to a process that failed to uphold the principles of a fair trial. Outside the courtroom, police violently dispersed demonstrators who had gathered in support of the two MPs, leaving several people injured.
On July 1st, 2026, the appeal trial of Ghame Salem and Mariem Dieng began at the Nouakchott West Court. The MPs’ lawyers were the only ones permitted to attend the hearing. Everyone else, including their relatives, was denied access to the courtroom.
Outside the court, numerous activists had gathered to show their support for the two MPs and to denounce a trial they deemmed an attack on civil liberties. The demonstration was violently repressed by the authorities and a large number of people had to be taken to the hospital due to the injuries they sustained.
On July 8, 2026, the court handed down its verdict and sentenced Ghame Salem and Mariem Dieng to two years’ imprisonment on appeal, accompanied by a five-year deprivation of their civil and political rights. This decision results in the loss of their status as MPs and prevents them from standing for election during this period.
| Name(s): |
Ghame Achour Salem
|
| Status: |
Detained
|
| Year of birth: |
1979
|
| Profession: |
MP at the Mauritanian National Assembly
|
| Nationality: |
Mauritanian
|
| Date of arrest: |
|
Ghame Achour Salem is a Mauritanian member of parliament who has been actively involved with the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA). She is a leading advocate for the human rights and dignity of indigenous peoples of African descent.
On the evening of April 9, 2026, the abolitionist MP Mariem Dieng hosted a live on Facebook during which she condemned the discrimination and human rights violations suffered by abolitionist activists from the Haratine community, which has historically been subjected to slavery and marginalisation. Following this live stream, Dieng was violently arrested at her home along with her three-month-old baby.
On April 10, 2026, at around 2 pm, Ghame Salem broadcasted a live on Facebook in which she denounced the arrest and disappearance of her colleague Mariem Dieng and her infant child. She also challenged the legality of the arrest, which took place despite Dieng’s parliamentary immunity. At around 4 pm, armed and hooded men in plain clothes arrived at the MP’s home in two unregistered vehicles. The officers forced Salem into one of the vehicles, in the presence of her husband and children, and refused to tell her family where she was being taken.
Soon after her arrest, the Ministry of Justice issued a statement regarding the arrest of MPs Salem and Dieng. According to the statement, the two MPs allegedly committed acts during their live broadcasts on social media that could constitute criminal offenses. The Ministry considered that the live broadcast of the events constituted a case of flagrante delicto, thereby precluding the application of parliamentary immunity. The statement did not mention the abduction of Mariem Dieng’s baby and did not specify the location where the two members of parliament and the child were being held.
The families and lawyers of Dieng and Salem have repeatedly approached police stations and prosecutors’ offices in Nouakchott to find out where they are being held, to no avail.
On April 16, 2026, MENA Rights Group submitted an urgent appeal to the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) on behalf of the two women and Mariem Dieng’s son.
On April 20, 2026, the CED sent a communication to the Mauritanian authorities, calling on them to clarify without delay the places of detention of Ghame Salem, Mariam Dieng and her infant. On the same day, Dieng and Salem were brought before the public prosecutor at the Nouakchott West Court. Their lawyers were informed and were able to attend the hearing to represent them. Access to the court was, however, restricted to all other persons, notably the families of the two MPs, who have been unable to visit them since their arrest.
The public prosecutor’s office charged Dieng and Salem with “deliberate contempt of national symbols via digital media, and the dissemination of racist remarks intended to undermine civil peace and social cohesion via social media” and “threats and defamation, incitement to gatherings with a view to disrupting public order, slander and defamation, and incitement to violence.” At the end of the hearing, the prosecutor ordered their remand in custody pending trial.
Ghame Salem was transferred to the women’s prison before being admitted to the hospital due to health problems.
On April 29, 2026, MENA Rights Group submitted a complaint to the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Committee on the human rights of parliamentarians, requesting that it intervene with the Mauritanian authorities on behalf of Mariem Dieng and Ghame Salem.
On May 4, 2026, the Criminal Court of Nouakchott West issued its first-instance ruling in the case of Ghame Salem and Mariem Dieng. The two MPs were sentenced to four years in prison, along with the closure of their social media accounts and pages and the imposition of a fine. Ghame Salem was transferred back to the women’s prison.
The lawyers were only summoned to the trial the day before. After challenging the court’s jurisdiction without being heard, the defence team chose to withdraw from the proceedings, considering that their presence would merely lend an appearance of fairness to a process that failed to uphold the principles of a fair trial. Outside the courtroom, police violently dispersed demonstrators who had gathered in support of the two MPs, leaving several people injured.
On July 1st, 2026, the appeal trial of Ghame Salem and Mariem Dieng began at the Nouakchott West Court. The MPs’ lawyers were the only ones permitted to attend the hearing. Everyone else, including their relatives, was denied access to the courtroom.
Outside the court, numerous activists had gathered to show their support for the two MPs and to denounce a trial they deemmed an attack on civil liberties. The demonstration was violently repressed by the authorities and a large number of people had to be taken to the hospital due to the injuries they sustained.
On July 8, 2026, the court handed down its verdict and sentenced Ghame Salem and Mariem Dieng to two years’ imprisonment on appeal, accompanied by a five-year deprivation of their civil and political rights. This decision results in the loss of their status as MPs and prevents them from standing for election during this period.
