(Freedom House/IFEX) – April 12, 2012 – Phillipe Nanga, Cyrille Bechon, and Herve Nzousabet, leaders of local human rights organizations in Cameroon, were detained on April 11 as they sought to meet with the Speaker of the National Assembly to discuss the draft Electoral Code, which is being debated during an extraordinary session of parliament. […]
(Freedom House/IFEX) – April 12, 2012 – Phillipe Nanga, Cyrille Bechon, and Herve Nzousabet, leaders of local human rights organizations in Cameroon, were detained on April 11 as they sought to meet with the Speaker of the National Assembly to discuss the draft Electoral Code, which is being debated during an extraordinary session of parliament. The activists wished to express their concerns to the government over the exclusion of civil society’s recommendations during consultations regarding the new bill. The three activists were detained by riot police and released after an hour, during which they were questioned and threatened with continued surveillance for planning to “burn the country down.” Police reportedly told one of the detainees that their work was being linked to a march organized by opposition politician Kah Walla of the Cameroon People’s Party, which police had halted, arresting several demonstrators. Freedom House condemns this harassment and calls on the government of Cameroon to refrain from denying civil society engagement in the political process.
BACKGROUND:
Cameroon is rated Not Free in Freedom in the World 2012. With a long history of restricting the space for civic activism, public gatherings, and political organization, Cameroon contradicts its commitments to international human rights instruments. The Cameroon government must work to make the legislative process more consultative by including recommendations from civil society groups and by allowing them access to their representatives in parliament.
