The Nouadhibou Court of Appeals upheld the death sentence against a blogger and freelance journalist Mohamed Cheikh Ould M'khaitir for the crime of apostasy. upheld the death sentence, and referred the case to the country's Supreme Court. The case stems from the blogger's publication in 2013 in which he made blasphemous statements against Islam and the Prophet Mohammed. Pursuant to the Mauritania's criminal provision on apostasy, if the defendant repents before his or her execution, the Supreme Court has the authority to commute the death penalty to a prison sentence and a fine. Columbia Global Freedom of Expression could not identify the official legal and government records on the case and that the information contained in this report was derived from secondary sources. It must be noted that media outlets may not provide complete information about this case. Additional information regarding this legal matter will be updated as an official source becomes available.