Nine Cameroonian men have been acquitted of all charges after been incarcerated for 12 months on charges of homosexuality, in the most horrendous conditions. The men were refused bail and were placed with the most hardened criminals were they were bound to be sexually abused. The trial which took place yesterday lasted a mere 10 minutes. Early this week one of their lawyers Ms Alice Nkom was detained by the prison authorities for 6 hours. The reason given was that she tried to take a photograph of her clients - more than likely just one more attempt to intimidate her.

The justification for the detention of the 9 men given by the Minister for Justice was to “ensure that positive African cultural values are preserved”….. “homosexuality is not a value accepted in the Cameroonian society.” (IGLHRC) Clearly he did not consider human rights to be values worth preserving in Cameroonian society despite the government having various human rights charters such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, both of which guarantee all of its citizens freedom from unfair discrimination.

Congratulations to Alice Nkom and Duga Tianji their team of lawyers, IGLHRC and all the human rights defenders that fought so hard to achieve the release of the 9
men at great cost to themselves. Whislst we can and must celebrate this victory, the 9 men who have spent the last 12 months in the unimaginable filth and squalor of prison now have the uphill task of trying to rebuild their lives knowing that though they are free, that freedom is incomplete as they remain imprisoned in a community of hate and homophobia.

The struggle continues - 4 lesbians are still in police custody and 11 female students have been expelled from school for “confessing” to belonging to a “network of lesbians”.

Source: African Solidarity 2006

Update

“the decision of the court was a smart one but i still believe
something has to be done for the 11 months of human rights violation ,
harrasment and all kind of treatments they have been subject to.

The decision as well will put a stop to the arbitrary arrest of lgbt
people as the judge stated clearly that only the sexual intercousre is
the proof before court of somebody’s supposed homosexuality”
Cameroonian human rights actvist.

Background on the case of Yaounde 11:

On 21 May 2005, gendarmes from the Nlongka Brigade arrested 17 men at a
nightclub believed to frequented by gays and lesbians. These arrests
were first reported by the local newspaper, Mutations, and were
confirmed by the United States Embassy in Cameroon. National television
in Cameroon and local Channel 2 broadcasted images of the young men
after their arrest. The 11 men who remained in detention were those too
poor to find a means to be released or to hire a lawyer. Many have been
abandoned by their families due to publicity related to the case.

In July 2005, IGLHRC and Behind the Mask, a South Africa-based LGBT
media outlet and human rights organization, launched a letter-writing
campaign on behalf of the detainees, but the government failed to
release the men.

In December 2005, IGLHRC delivered a letter to the Minister of Justice
of Cameroon urging him to release the 11 men detained for the last
seven months on suspicion of “sodomy” and to prevent a
government-ordered “medical examination” to determine whether the men
had engaged in homosexual conduct. Seven other human rights
organizations—both American and African—signed the letter to S.E.
Monsieur Amadou Ali, entreating the minister to prevent the medical
examinations that had been ordered by a government prosecutor.

A trial date was set for March 17, 2006. Shortly before the trial
began, two of the men were released, ostensibly due to lack of
evidence.

On March 17, 2006, at the opening of the trial, the prosecution seemed
ill prepared and had no witnesses to present. Rather than dismissing
the case, the judge postponed the trial until April 21, 2006. The
verdict was announced this morning in Cameroon.

Source: IGLHRC