On March 27, 2015, Mauritanian president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, intimidated Ahmed Wadiaa, editor of the privately-owned Essiraj newspaper.
The MFWA’s correspondent in the Mauritania reported that President Aziz’s action is a result of Wadiaa’s attempt to ask more than one question at one of the president’s press conference.
President Aziz reportedly told Widaa, “Behave like the others or leave. … You are not asking three questions this evening”.
The journalist, however, told the president he would not leave and was going to ask his questions. This angered the president, who then asked all the journalists to leave and ordered the cessation of the live broadcast of the meeting. The moderator of the event subsequently ordered the production department to stop broadcasting.
According to the MFWA’s correspondent, a small number of journalists were selected to attend the meeting, so most of them wondered why they were only able to ask one question.
