By Noela EBOB BISONG
The Collectif Défence Citoyenne Cameroun, a group made up of about 149 legal minds in seven of the country’s 10 regions, has made public a press release on the state of affairs following the October 12 Presidential election. According to the release, 39 people lost their lives as a result of gunshots, and more than 1,900 people are currently being detained, out of an estimated total of approximately 2,500 arrests across the country.
The group reveals that among those detained are a host of minors aged between 14 to 18.
The release unveils that the most affected regions are: • Littoral (Douala): 640 arrests, including 383 detained at PK19 without access to lawyers. • East (Bertoua – Batouri – Garoua-Boulai): 373 people detained.” • West (Bafoussam – Dschang – Bandja): 397 people held in custody or imprisoned. • Far North (Maroua – Mokolo): 191 arrests, including 12 minors. • Central & South (Yaoundé – Ntui): more than 300 arrests, with severe restrictions on lawyers’ access to detainees.
The group has also highlighted the violations of human rights, including amongst others, numerous cases of unnotified administrative detentions, illegal extensions, and obstruction of lawyers’ access, as well as inhumane detention conditions.
The civil society group has thus urged the powers that be to grant immediate legal access to detainees, end arbitrary detentions and respect the constitutional norms and international engagements signed by Cameroon. To institutions, partners and citizens, it urges for support to judicial assistance efforts and reinforce vigilance in the face of Human Rights violations.