Cameroon

No action on homophobic violence in Cameroon

Published by on September 16, 2013

IRIN News 16 September 2013 In Cameroon, one of the world’s most homophobic countries, not only is intolerance towards same-sex conduct widespread, but murder and threats against homosexuals and rights activists are met with inaction from authorities, abetting the violence, rights groups say. In July, Cameroonian gay right activist Eric Ohena Lembembe was found murdered at his home in Yaoundé. His neck was broken, his feet were smashed and his face was burned with an iron, said Human Rights Watch (HRW). The previous month, the offices of three human rights groups, including those that defend lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Read the full article…

Cameroon: LGBTI Rights Activist Found Dead, Tortured

Published by on July 16, 2013

Human Rights Watch 16 July 2013 Cameroonian authorities should immediately conduct an effective and thorough investigation into the torture and killing of Eric Ohena Lembembe, an activist and journalist who was found dead at his home in Yaoundé on the evening of July 15. Lembembe, executive director of the Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS (CAMFAIDS), was an outspoken activist who defended the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people. Lembembe’s friends discovered his body on Monday evening after being unable to reach him by telephone for two days, and went to his home. They found his front door Read the full article…

Cameroon: Spate of Attacks on Rights Defenders

Published by on July 1, 2013

Human Rights Watch 1 July 2013 The Cameroonian government should rigorously investigate, denounce, and prosecute suspicious break-ins at three human rights defenders’ offices in June, six Cameroonian and international human rights organizations said today. The organizations - Affirmative Action, Alternatives-Cameroun, the Association for the Defense of Homosexuals (ADEFHO), the Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS (CAMFAIDS), Human Rights Watch, and Humanity First Cameroon - said that those attacked included organizations working with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) community. In the most recent attack, on June 26, unidentified assailants set fire to the Alternatives-Cameroun office in Douala. On June 16, Read the full article…

Making love a crime: Criminalization of same-sex conduct in Sub-Saharan Africa

Published by on June 25, 2013

Amnesty International 25 June 2013 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report provides an analysis of the legal environment and wider context of human rights violations against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals in sub-Saharan Africa. Recent years have seen increasing reports of people being harassed, marginalized, discriminated against and attacked because of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. This is occurring in countries whose legal systems still condone the criminalization of consensual same-sex behaviour, and in countries where the police and justice systems are failing to prevent these crimes from happening. The continued criminalization of consensual same-sex Read the full article…

Cameroon: Amnesty International Annual Report 2013

Published by on May 23, 2013

Amnesty International 23 May 2013 As in previous years, the authorities continued to restrict the activities of political opponents and journalists. People suspected of engaging in same-sex activities were detained and some were sentenced to prison terms. Those defending the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people were subjected to harassment and abuse. The authorities did not act to protect people from attacks. Conditions in some prisons were harsh and sometimes life-threatening. Background In November President Biya celebrated 30 years in power. Protest actions by opposition groups, linked to the anniversary, were dispersed by riot police. Corruption remained Read the full article…

Cameroon: Drop Charges Against 2 Transgender Youth

Published by on May 17, 2013

Human Rights Watch 17 May 2013 The Cameroonian authorities should drop the charges against two transgender youth rather than appealing their case to the Supreme Court, five human rights organizations said today. Jonas K. and Franky D. are being prosecuted on what the appeals court has already ruled were trumped-up charges of homosexual conduct, the groups said in a letter to the Yaoundé prosecutor today. The five organizations – Alternatives-Cameroun, Association for the Defense of Homosexuals (ADEFHO), Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS (CAMFAIDS), Human Rights Watch, and the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) – asked the prosecutor Read the full article…

Cameroon: Information on police corruption in Cameroon

Published by on May 13, 2013

Researched and compiled by the Refugee Documentation Centre of Ireland 13 May 2013 Available at UNHCR Refworld A press release from the Cameroon Center for Democracy and Human Rights comments on the prevalence of corruption in Cameroon as follows: “Corruption has eaten so deep into the fabric of the Cameroonian society such that it dictates almost every aspect of life. Misappropriate of public funds run across all state structures and public officials, including the President and his Ministers, the leadership of the National Assembly, and Directors of public corporations. In the same light, bribery has become the order of the Read the full article…

Cameroon: rights abuses in ‘homosexuality’ prosecutions

Published by on March 21, 2013

Human Rights Watch 21 March 2013 Download the report Cameroon prosecutes people for consensual same-sex conduct more aggressively than almost any country in the world, four human rights organizations said in a report released today. The organizations – Alternatives-Cameroun, Association for the Defense of Gays and Lesbians (ADEFHO), the Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS (CAMFAIDS), and Human Rights Watch – found that at least 28 people have been prosecuted for same-sex conduct in Cameroon since 2010. Most cases are marked by grave human rights violations, including torture, forced confessions, denial of access to legal counsel, and discriminatory treatment by law enforcement Read the full article…

Cameroon gay rights lawyer seeks US refuge

Published by on February 17, 2013

France 24 via AFP 17 February 2013 A Cameroonian lawyer who has received death threats for defending gays and lesbians in a country where homosexuality is outlawed has sought refuge with his family in the United States. In his home country, homosexuality is associated with “sorcery and black magic,” said Yaounde lawyer Michel Togue, amid rising concern by international rights groups about the treatment of gays in many African nations. “Homophobia is on the rise, and intolerance is growing,” he told AFP, recalling one case where a gay person was sentenced to “six months in prison just for declaring their Read the full article…

Cameroon: stop turning blind eye to death threats

Published by on February 13, 2013

Human Rights Watch 13 February 2013 The government of Cameroon should immediately take action against a series of death threats made over the last four months to two lawyers who represent clients accused of homosexual conduct, Human Rights Watch said today in an open letter to President Paul Biya. Alice Nkom and Michel Togué, Cameroonian human rights lawyers, began receiving death threats in October 2012, in the form of emails and text messages, assailing the lawyers for their work defending clients charged with homosexuality. Consensual same-sex conduct is criminalized under the Cameroonian penal code’s article 347 bis, and at least Read the full article…