By Daniel D.
Popular human rights lawyer, Barrister Edward Ewule Lyonga, says he cannot access his clients in pre-trial detention at the Buea Central Prison because the Prison Superintendent has barred his access.
Ewule, known for his fervent advocacy for human rights, denounced the ban as a farce and a blatant violation of international human rights conventions.
Speaking in a telephone interview with MMI on Monday, March 11, Barrister Ewule expressed disbelief at the denial of access.
“How can you deny a human rights lawyer access to his clients?” he questioned.
He is now taking steps to petition the Presidency of the Republic, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Ministry of Justice to address what he deems an infringement on his professional duties.
‘FEELING THREATENED’
Ewule believes the ban is a consequence of his human rights activism, with the prison superintendent allegedly feeling threatened by his actions.
Denying a lawyer access to suspects and accused individuals, he asserted, represents one of the gravest violations of legal norms.
“It is one of the highest violations you can hear of—access of suspects and accused persons to their lawyers,” he said, adding that the restriction is because of “my actions as a human rights lawyer.”
The genesis of the issue traces back to Ewule’s successful advocacy for Antoinette Kongnso, a nursing mother who faced charges at the Buea Military Court for failing to report acts of terrorism by her former boyfriend, the notorious separatist fighter known as General No Pity.
“It was when I did the case of Kongnso Antoinette that I got the judgment of the military court, signed by the military judge and military registrar, and signed by the President of the Military Court. When the release order was sent to the prison, the prison superintendent refused to release her, saying that the order needed to come from the Procureur General. I told him that the Procureur General had no power over the Military Court. So he got annoyed,” Barrister Ewule told MMI.
Ewule and other human rights advocates succeeded in securing Kongnso’s release that day, despite the standoff with the prison superintendent.
The superintendent then reportedly proceeded to bar Ewule from accessing the facility to see his clients.
Ewule firmly declared that such a ban is an abuse of power, particularly in a crisis region where dozens of people have been arbitrarily arrested and detained.
UNDETERRED
Barrister Ewule Lyonga told MMI he remains undeterred by the superintendent’s restrictions.
Citing ongoing habeas corpus cases he has filed for illegal detentions, he said he is committed to fighting and denouncing human rights violations.
Ewule said he complained to the Procureur General, who directed him to the State Council.
And the State Council told the Superintendent that a human rights lawyer cannot be stopped from seeing his clients. Yet the Prison Superintendent did not heed the call.
Barrister Edward Ewule is now hopeful that his petition to the highest echelons of government – the President of the Republic, Prime Minister, and Minister of Justice – will bring about a resolution to the access ban imposed by the Buea Central Prison Superintendent.
WHO IS BARRISTER EWULE LYONGA?
Barrister Edward Ewule Lyonga is an ardent human rights advocate, founder of Legend Law Firm based in Buea, South West Region.
He is known for defending dozens of victimized Cameroonians in the Anglophone Regions, particularly in Buea.
Notably was his consistent pursuit of justice for Antoinette Kongnso, a woman who was arbitrarily arrested, molested and detained for nearly two years over terrorism-related accusations.
Kongnso finally got freed from the Buea Central Prison months after giving birth in detention.
Ewule Lyonga was also instrumental in advocating for the late journalist Samuel Wazizi, a Buea-based TV presenter who died in government detention in 2020.
His human rights advocacy has earned him several recognitions, most recently the 2023 Canadian Human Rights Defenders Award from the Canadian High Commission in Yaounde.
©Mimi Mefo Info
