Source: Global Christian News, June 15, 2018
The Mauritanian government has now passed into law amendments to the criminal code making the death penalty mandatory for anyone convicted of “blasphemous speech” or “sacrilegious acts.” The changes also do away with the option for those found guilty to “repent” and avoid the death penalty.
The amendments to the criminal code put in place a sentence of two years’ imprisonment and a fine of 600,000 Ouguiyas (around £12,000) for “offending public indecency and Islamic values.” They were passed into law by country’s National Assembly on April 27, 2018.
The Mauritanian government last carried out an execution for blasphemy in 1987. A Muslim blogger, tried in 2014, was the most recent person to be convicted. However, his death sentence was downgraded to two years in prison. The announcement of plans to amend the criminal code came in November, days after it was made public that the blogger would be freed after serving his sentence.
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is almost entirely Muslim, although there are a small number of predominantly expatriate Christians.
» Stories like this are discouraging, but see also How Malaysia and North Korea Inspire Us to Pray Impossible Prayers (Open Doors).