Lawyers to protest poor, unfair treatment from authorities of detention centers

The Cameroon Bar Council is planning to stage a nationwide protest to denounce the poor treatment and difficulties endured by lawyers in the exercise of their duty.

After meeting Saturday, August 31, 2019 in Yaounde, members of the Bar Council agreed to start the strike action from September 16 to 20, 2019.

The four-day protest was triggered by the fact that lawyers are consistently being denied access to their clients and persons in the various detention centres like SED, Police Stations and Gendarmerie Brigades.

The Bar Council also kicks against gross violation of rights of the accused: “trial in a language not understood, accused persons in violation of their dignity are brought naked before trial courts,” they said.

They are also accusing government of the following:

-Illegal prolonged detention of accused persons
-Transformation of judicial detention into administrative detention
-Frequent refusal by state prosecutors to release suspects when they are either granted bail or have been discharged by a court of law.

The Bar Council also said, lawyers who complain about the justice system have been tortured, others arrested and detained for doing their job.

The Bar will only observe happenings in the days ahead before taking further actions, it said.
The decision is signed among other lawyers by Bar President Tchakoute Patie Charles.

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