Some 51 Cameroonians, including lawyers, politicians, civil society, and religious leaders, have petitioned Cameroon President Paul Biya to put an end to torture, among other human rights violations in the country.
In an open letter to the President, they asked Paul Biya to take all measures to effectively put an end to acts of torture and grievous human rights violations. These acts of torture and human rights violations are recurrent with journalists and women.
Citing the constitution, they told President Paul Biya that the security forces who are supposed to protect are instead the perpetrators.
Most atrocities are committed are in Cameroon English-speaking regions rocked by armed conflict and the Far North region, where a war against the Boko Haram Insurgency is ongoing.
Human Rights Violations
The concerned citizens mentioned the cases of popular musician Longue Longue, Tiktoker Junior Ngumbe, the murder of journalists Martinez Zogo and Samuel Wazizi, and the killing of women and children in the Far North and Northwest Region, among others. All committed by security forces.
“We, Cameroonian citizens, committed to strict and systematic respect for human rights and Cameroonian citizenship, hereby write to you, given the seriousness, the resurgence, and the recurrence of acts of torture, arbitrary arrests and detentions, forced disappearances, and extrajudicial executions in our society.” They said.
“We are writing to you as citizens of Cameroon to request that you take all necessary measures, without delay, to bring an immediate end to the serious violations of human rights in our country. Despite the robust legal framework at the national, continental, and international levels cited above, it is with deep concern that we write to you. The fact is that in the Cameroonian system of law and order, rampant throughout almost all its institutions, the following violations are systemic and recurrent with little to no recourse for citizens,” they added.
Punish Perpetrators
The group equally urges President Paul Biya to punish those security officers committing the act.
“The use of torture is recurrent and pervasive whether one is dealing with the Cameroonian Police, Gendarmes, Military, Rapid Intervention Brigade, or other forces. Over decades and across the geographical space of the country, multiple cases of torture are recorded every year in Cameroon.” The statement added that “the repeated use of similar torture techniques over a wide spread of years, across multiple institutions, and in various parts of the country suggest that formally or informally these techniques of torture are being taught, are accepted, and are passed on to soldiers and policemen in service.”
What can be done?
This group of Cameroonians say President Biya should end practices of torture, release those illegally detained, end violence against women, and put in the 2025 budget resources to implement all that.
“Cameroon is violated in its very soul as a nation every time a new video or case of torture, inhuman treatment, or extrajudicial killing occurs. The injustice is done to the individual victims of the crime, but it is also done to our country as a nation. You must bring these practices to an end immediately. In this regard, as citizens, we will be exercising all the powers and rights accorded to us by the Constitution of Cameroon and our national legal framework to ensure results are obtained as quickly as possible in this domain.” They said.
Cameroon to Appear before UN Committee Against Torture
This petition comes at a time when Cameroon is scheduled to appear before the UN committee against torture in Geneva, Switzerland, from November 13 to 14.
During the third-day session, 10 independent international experts on how they are implementing the Convention will review how Cameroon is abiding by the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Recently, the Cameroon Human Rights Commission said it has forwarded a report to the committee against torture. It equally asked the Ministry of Defence to speed up the investigation in which security elements were seen on video severely torturing popular musician Longue Longue.
The country has a poor human rights record, according to the International Human Rights Organisation.
