BY LUCY LIMA
A frontline gay rights defender in Cameroon has disclosed that those practicing same-sex relations have themselves to blame if arrested by security operatives. According to the gay rights defender, Barrister Alice Akom, for the past years homosexuals and lesbians have seen themselves jailed, which according to her is wrong because homosexuality is a human right. “Those who find pleasure in the practice, their human rights must be respected,” she said.
Criminalising homosexuality, she says is bad law thus repugnant to natural justice equity and good conscience. The Gay Rights Defender disclosed that in July 2013, a prominent Cameroonian Gay Rights activists and Journalist, Eric Lembembe’s neck and feet appeared to have been broken and his face, hands and feet burned with iron, Human Rights Watch said.
In 2017, Barrister Alice Nkom who has been fighting for the rights of Homosexuals and Lesbians said “I accuse the state, if there had not been criminalization of homosexuality, he would not have gone to prison and his life would not be over. His life was finished as soon as he went to prison”, quoting the case of Eric Lembembe who died under heartbreaking circumstances in prison.
This was the case in May 2005 where 11 men were arrested at a nightclub in Yaounde on suspicion of sodomy, and the government threatened to conduct examination to prove their homosexuality activity. Many other alleged homosexuals have been arrested and detained under section 347-1 of the Penal Code.
Jean Claude Roger Mbede was equally arrested by security forces for sending love messages to male acquaintances, and sentenced to three years imprisonment at the Kondengui Central Prison. The sentence was protested by international Human Rights Organisations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, who termed him a prisoner of Conscience. Mbede later died in prison, without any medical treatment.
In November 2011, a Cameroonian court convicted two young men Jonas Kamie and Frank Ndome, who had been arrested for homosexuality outside a night club in Yaoundé based solely on their appearance and behavior. They sentenced to five years imprisonment.
Government has given firm instructions to security operatives to bring all alleged homosexuals and lesbians to book and to give a deaf ear to gay rights defenders. One of such glaring example is that of 24-year-old Manjo Sandrine Berinyuy, a university graduate and online English language teacher. Before going underground since 2019, Sandrine have been in profound amorous relationship with her lesbian friend Alexandra Jeukou since 2016. Family sources disclosed that they had since being suspecting their daughter Manjo Sandrine for having a love relationship with her best friend Alexandra Jeukou from a very financially wealthy background and reproached her but she denied the allegations. Manjo and her friend, as fate will have it, were caught in a room by a village denizen, who immediately raised an alarm and reported them to the police. Considering the heavy jail sentence that was going to be handed on them by the court they decided to go on the run. There are reports constant impromptu military patrol in their neighbourhood to apprehend them.
It should be recalled that the office of the Human Rights Activist who defend the rights of Homosexual and Lesbians , Barrister Alice Nkom, has been ransacked by unknown assailants. Most Homosexuals believe their lives are constantly in danger as they are continuously being persecuted, not only by security operatives but also the public. Barrister Atoh Walters Tchemi, a kumba based legal Practitioner and head of the Time Law Firm, a gay rights activist, was recently attacked, molested and tortured by unknown individuals for defending a homosexual Fonya Cornelius, who unfortunately was jailed by the Limbe Court of First Instance.
According to Human Rights Watch, at least 28 people in Cameroon have been charged under the country’s anti-gay laws in the past three years-more than many any other African Nation.
It should be noted that Homosexuality is illegal and criminalized in Cameroon and culprits can be punished with jail terms ranging from 06 ( six) months to 5 (five) years, and a fine from FCFA 20.000 to FCFA 200.000 according to section 347-1 of Law N0.2016/007of 12, July 2016 of the Panel Code. Law N0. 2010/012 of 21 December 2010 on Cyber Crime and Cyber Criminality, its section 83 -1 criminalises online same sex sexual proposition to a person of their sex through electronic communication. Any person (s) found guilty shall be punished with imprisonment of one to two years and a fined of FCFA 500.000 to FCFA 1000.000.