Kah Walla, leader of the opposition Cameroon People’s Party, was arrested along with other activists while participating in a long-running opposition campaign that calls for wearing black on Fridays.
This statement was originally published on freedomhouse.org on 8 April 2016.
In response to the wrongful arrest of activist and opposition leader Kah Walla in Cameroon on April 8, Freedom House issued the following statement:
“Freedom House condemns Cameroon’s arrest of Kah Walla on the absurd charges of insurrection and rebellion against the State, for peacefully protesting against the government,” said Vukasin Petrovic, director for Africa programs. “Authorities should not have intimidated Walla and the 11 other activists arrested with her but instead allowed their freedom of expression.”
Background:
Kah Walla, leader of the opposition Cameroon People’s Party, was participating in a long-running opposition campaign that calls for wearing black on Fridays. She and other activists were arrested while passing out flyers advocating against modifying Cameroon’s constitution.
Cameroon is rated Not Free in Freedom in the World 2016 and Not Free in Freedom of the Press 2015.