Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Mauritanian government of the death sentence imposed for apostasy on Mohamed Mkhaitir in that country.

The UK’s Head of Mission participated in an EU Heads of Mission meeting with the Mauritanian Prime Minister in December, which the Minister of Justice also attended.

Mr Mkhaitir’s case was specifically raised by the delegation, who were assured by the Minister of Justice that his case was under appeal and that Mauritania continues to hold a moratorium on the death penalty.