A court in Mauritania has sentenced two opposition MPs to four years in prison for accusing the president of racial discrimination.
The lawmakers allegedly described President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani as mentor of apartheid in West Africa on social media.
They are members of human rights group Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement.
Late Monday in Nouakchott court ordered removal of digital content, phone confiscations and closure of online accounts.
Opposition blocs condemned detention and trial, calling it flagrant violation of parliamentary immunity rights.
Lawyers reported serious irregularities and legal breaches in proceedings under strict security surveillance.
They announced plans to appeal the court decision through formal legal channels.
Slavery was abolished in Mauritania in 1981 but persists despite stricter penalties introduced in 2015.
The country has 5.5 million people including Moors, Haratins, Soninke and Fulani ethnic groups.
2012 Global Slavery Index estimated 10 to 20 percent of population lived in slavery affecting up to 680,000 people.
The case highlights ongoing tensions over race, slavery legacy and political expression in Mauritania’s fragile democratic space.