Mohammed Ould Abdel Latif, a reporter of privately-owned El Hayat, an Arabic daily newspaper, was detained on July 18, 2010 by the Mauritanian police for several hours before being released without charge.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)'s correspondent in Mauritania reported that Latif's arrest was as a result of his investigations into tax collection exercise by the Arafat Municipal Authorities in Nouakchott, the capital. He was arrested while interviewing traders in the municipality about the involvement of the police in the tax collection exercise.

The correspondent said the police accused the reporter of disobeying their orders.