Amnesty International demands release of 36 opposition supporters jailed in Cameroon
In a statement on Monday, Amnesty condemned the ongoing detention of members of the Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC), who were among a larger group of 500 people arrested.
Amnesty International has called for the immediate release of 36 Cameroonian opposition supporters who have been arbitrarily imprisoned for five years for taking part in peaceful anti-government protests.
In a statement issued on Monday, Amnesty condemned the ongoing detention of members of the Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC), who were among a larger group of 500 people arrested.
More To Read
- Paul Biya at 92: will defections weaken his grip on absolute power in Cameroon?
- Cameroon’s election risks instability, no matter who wins
- Amnesty backs Irungu Houghton's appointment to protest victims’ compensation panel
- Amnesty accuses Israel of intentionally starving Gaza population
- Maina Kiai appointed chairperson of KHRC board of directors
- Cameroon court rejects Maurice Kamto’s bid to join presidential race
According to the human rights organisation, the detainees remain in Kondengui prison in Yaoundé after being sentenced by a military court to between five and seven years.
"The Cameroonian authorities must immediately release these individuals, who have committed no crime other than to express their opinion," said Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International's Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
Military courts
"The authorities must also refrain from trying civilians in military courts, as it is incompatible with the right to a fair trial and therefore in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights."
Lawyer Hippolyte Meli Tiakouang, who represents the detainees, said that despite filing both legal and medical appeals, the Cameroonian government has failed to respond.
"Thirty-six appeals have been lodged since 2022 with the Supreme Court of Cameroon, which has not yet ruled on any of them. The delays are unreasonable. One might think that the judiciary drags things out so that the sentences handed down will be carried out," the lawyer said.
In 2022, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention published an opinion declaring the detention of 15 MRC leaders and activists to be arbitrary.
"We are deeply disappointed that the authorities have failed to recognise the arbitrary nature of the ongoing detention of these protesters," said Sivieude.
Presidential elections
As Cameroon prepares for presidential elections in October, where Paul Biya is seeking an eighth term, rights groups are warning of a surge in arbitrary arrests and shrinking civic space.
Both Amnesty International and the UN Human Rights Office report that authorities have stepped up their crackdown on dissent in recent weeks.
On August 4, for example, at least 54 MRC supporters were arrested outside the Constitutional Council in Yaoundé during pre-election hearings. Of those, 23 now face charges of inciting revolt and disturbing public order.
Days later, a man who posted videos calling for protests against the rejection of MRC leader Maurice Kamto’s candidacy was jailed by a military court in Douala on accusations of undermining state security.
"These opposition supporters should never have been arrested in the first place. The fact that they were arrested points to the alarming crackdown on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in Cameroon," Sivieude said.
"The charges against those who are prosecuted for exercising their human rights must be dropped."
Top Stories Today
