Tag Archives: Cameroon

Cameroon man guilty of gay text message

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LGBT activists protest outside the Cameroon embassy in South Africa.

 

An appeals court in the Cameroonian capital of Yaoundé has upheld a jail sentence for a man who sent a text message to another man that read, “I’m very much in love with you.”

Jean-Claude Roger Mbédé fought back tears as he spoke to the press about his experience in a Cameroon jail, where he had been held for a year and a half. “I am not sure I can put up with the anti-gay attacks and harassment I underwent at the hands of fellow inmates and prison authorities,” he told The Associated Press.

Mbédé’s lawyers can still appeal to the nation’s Supreme Court, but his chances seem slim. According to records cited by Human Rights Watch, 14 people were prosecuted for homosexuality in Cameroon; 12 were convicted – a high rate even among African countries in which homosexuality is illegal.

News agencies report that just two months ago, two men were convicted for their “effeminate” appearance and tastes – they were drinking Bailey’s irish cream, considered by authorities to be a “gay” drink.

Human Rights Watch also reports that Mbédé’s lawyers have received death threats targeting their children.

 

 

Two Men In Cameroon Sentenced To 5 Years In Prison For Being “Percieved” As Gay

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Two men in Cameroon were sentenced to five years jail-time for the suspicion of being gay and International gay rights groups are in an uproar.

Coming just one week after Roger Jean-Claude Mbédé was sentenced to 3 years prison for sending a text message to another man which said: ‘I’m very much in love with you’.  Franky Djome and Jonas Singa Kumie received a five-year prison sentence for being ‘perceived’ as gay , the highest possible sentence by a Cameroon judge because their vocabulary was “feminine”, because they drank a beverage that’s perceived to be something gay men drink, and because the clothes they were wearing were not masculine enough’,

Andre Banks, Executive Director of AllOut.org said: ‘“The cases of Franky, Jonas, and Roger are not isolated incidents — these are systematic violations of the most basic human rights.

Homosexual activity both male and female is illegal in Cameroon, under Section 347, with a penalty of five years in prison and a fine.

In 2011 alone, over a dozen men were arrested under Section 347, solely on the suspicion of being gay.

Country of Cameroon To Celebrate August 21st As National Anti-Gay Day

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The Rassemblement de la Jeunesse Camerounaise association (Cameroonian Youth Rally, or RJC) has issued a statement that August 21 will be ‘celebrated’ as the national anti-gay day of Cameroon in its capital city of Yaoundé, stating it aims to glorify homophobia with a rally, a parade and vow to make it a yearly event.

LGBT people in Cameroon face police brutality, institutionalized homophobia, and a culture of fear and persecution and can face a penalty of six months to five years in prison. . If the offender is under the age of 21 a more severe punishment is likely. The level of homophobic campaigns launched by the church and media indicate that Cameroon is one of the most hostile countries in Africa for LGBT people.

During a recent televised debate, Sismondi Barlev Bidjocka, spokesperson for the RJC, stated that ‘homosexuality is a crime against humanity.’

There are no official associations to help LGBT people in Cameroon

In 2010, U.S. assistance to the Cameroon  totaled over $26 million.