Two newspaper vendors were arrested and another was manhandled in Douala on the morning of 17 April 1995. Emile Kouakam reportedly was manhandled by police; Ernest Ndongmo and Simon also were mistreated and then were taken to the Central Commissariat in Douala. According to ARTICLE 19’s sources, the three vendors were targeted by the police […]
Two newspaper vendors were arrested and another was manhandled in
Douala on the morning of 17 April 1995. Emile Kouakam reportedly
was manhandled by police; Ernest Ndongmo and Simon also were
mistreated and then were taken to the Central Commissariat in
Douala. According to ARTICLE 19’s sources, the three vendors were
targeted by the police because they were selling the 17 April
1995 edition of “Le Messager”, which contains an article critical
of the Vice Prime Minister Andz Tsoungui. The vendors protested
the seizures and asked police for a receipt indicating the number
of newspapers which they were confiscating. As of the evening of
19 April, the two vendors remained in detention.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to Cameroonian authorities:
incidents of harassment and arrests of newspaper vendors,
government critics and opposition leaders, all constitute gross
violations of the right to freedom of expression, guaranteed by
Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights, which Cameroon has signed and ratified
vendors Ernest Ndongmo and Simon and to cease its attacks on free
speech
censorship as a matter of urgency
Appeals To
His Excellency Paul Biya
President of the Republic of Cameroon
Office of the President
Palais de l’Unite
Yaounde, Cameroon
Fax: +237 23 30 22 or +237 22 16 99
Professor Augustin Kontchou Kouomegni
Minister of Communications
Ministry of Communications
Yaounde, Cameroon
Fax: +237 23 30 22
NB: Malheureusement, une version francaise de l’alerte ne sera
pas disponible.
