Confronted with physical assaults and death threats, the Cameroonian LGBTI advocacy group Camfaids has temporarily closed its headquarters, which also serves as an LGBTI meeting place and as a refuge for victims of homophobia. Camfaids officials said the closure, which occurred July 17, will continue while the organization seeks financial support for improved security. Continue reading
Cameroon attorneys Michel Togué and Alice Nkom this week received the Geuzenpenning Award for their work defending LGBTI clients in that repressive African country. Togué and Nkom are the longest-serving of only about four Cameroonian attorneys who accept LGBTI clients. Others are Charlotte Cathy Moundo and Jathan Ndongo, two associates of Togué, working in Yaoundé, … Continue reading
By Erin Royal Brokovitch Hervé, a 25-year-old Cameroonian man facing homosexuality charges, was set free on bail on April 13 after nine days in police custody. His release was accomplished through the diligent work of LGBTI rights activists at Humanity First Cameroon and, in particular, the lawyers Michel Togue and Jatan Ndongo. But both Hervé … Continue reading
By Erin Royal Brokovitch Since April 4, the Cameroonian anti-Aids pro-LGBTI rights organization Humanity First has been under pressure from Emombo district police after advocating for the release of a young man who was arrested in Yaoundé on homosexuality-related charges. Now, activists from LGBTI groups throughout the city and from the commercial capital of Douala … Continue reading
Last month, hundreds of Cameroonians marched in support of the country’s human rights defenders in a protest organized by Camfaids and its partners. Camfaids (the Cameroonian Foundation for Aids) combats HIV/Aids and works to achieve recognition of the importance of guaranteeing human rights for LGBTI people. The peaceful march by nearly 300 people was part … Continue reading
Reporter Robbie Corey-Boulet conducted an in-depth investigation into the death of Roger Mbede, a former Amnesty International prisoner of conscience who was imprisoned in 2011 in anti-gay Cameroon for amorous text messages, was released from prison in 2012 in poor health, and died last year under suspicious circumstances at his family’s home. These are excerpts … Continue reading
In Cameroon, the number of prosecutions and convictions of LGBTI people has dropped markedly after years of hard work by local activists and two attorneys advocating for recognition of the human rights of LGBTI people. Cameroon has not repealed the law known as “347 bis,” which provides for up to five years in prison for … Continue reading
We publish the call to associations and peers in the struggle for human rights and in particular for the rights of LGBTI people, by the CAMFAIDS team in Cameroon inviting all human rights defenders to commemorate July 15th as Human Rights Defenders Day. Dear colleagues and peers in the struggle for human rights and in … Continue reading
By Erin Royal Brokovitch The prospect of getting a bribe is a strong motivation for Cameroon police and prosecutors in their dealings with men who are suspected of being gay. That was demonstrated in a recent case involving a 21-year-old university student known as C., who was lured to a meeting with a police informer, … Continue reading
By Erin Royal Brokovitch The author of this article is an activist for LGBT rights in Cameroon who writes under a pseudonym. A 22-year-old Cameroonian man, identified here as A.H., was held in police custody from Nov. 17 to Nov. 20 after a Facebook correspondent entrapped him and denounced him to police as a homosexual. … Continue reading
