By Talla Agha Chris
Barrister Atoh Walter M. Tchemi, a Human Rights Activist and member of the Human Rights Commission of the Cameroon Bar Association, has urged President Paul Biya to release all Anglophone Activists incarcerated at Kondengui, in the nation’s capital Yaoundé’
Speaking to The SUN at his THE TIME LAW FIRM office, Kumba, Barrister Atoh Walter expressed enormous regrets relating to the ‘arbitrary’ arrest, and detention of said Anglophone Activists, while noting as follows;-
That said arrest and detention undermines Cameroon’s Constitution, specifically, the Preamble to and Section 45 of Law No: 96/06 of 18 January 1996, to amend the Constitution of June 2, 1972. He further intimates that, said detainees and or Activists were acting within their constitutional rights, of (‘… freedom of expression, … assembly, of association and of trade unionism, as well as the right to strike … ‘) which was seemingly misconstrued and or misinterpreted by some influential and overzealous members of government leading to their arrest and subsequent incarceration in Yaoundé
That said arrest and detention equally undermines Cameroon’s International Treaty Commitments as spelt out in Section 45 supra, and notedly, Cameroon’s International Treaty commitments pertaining to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the UN Human Rights Committee ( UN Committee), both to the effect that, military tribunal lacks authority to try civilians, that military courts are a division of the armed services and thus part of the executive branch or government and are not of the independent judicial branch of the government.
That the jurisdiction of military tribunal is restricted or circumscribed to offences of strictly military nature committed by military personnel, he further noted that, said detainees and or Activists are not military personnel as such.
That all state actions must affirm or confirm to the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Charter of the United Nations and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, see the Preamble.
In furtherance and in line with the above, said Rights Activist, contends that, said detention enfeebles or weakens our much preached and or acclaimed constitutional democracy.
Furthermore, that, normalcy is exceedingly needed in all segments of our society and notedly, within the North and West Regions that have been tainted with social unrests and economic letdowns.
Consequently, he urges President Paul Biya, who is “… like the sun, and shines to all Cameroonians …’ (going by Cameroon’s Spokesperson) to shine to all, including said detainees and or Activists and order for their unconditional release”, that will be justice, he added.