8 HRDs charged with rebellion, complicity in subversion, failure to report, using a false title & dissemination of false news
On 5 October 2019, the President of Cameroon, Paul Biya, ordered the suspension of all proceedings at the Military Court against human rights defenders Yannick Mbakop, Samuel Talla Giles, Stanislas Tokam, Herman Zebaze Takoubo and Aimé Kameni Wetchadji. They were released after spending five months in prison.
On 27 June 2019, the first hearing for human rights defenders Jules Raymond Anama, Christian Ouemba Kuete, Juliette Ndim Bih, Yannick Mbakop, Samuel Talla Giles, Stanislas Tokam, Herman Zebaze Takoubo and Aimé Kameni Wetchadji took place at the Yaoundé Military Tribunal. They were charged with rebellion, complicity in subversion, failure to report, using a false title, and propagation of false news in relation to a protest they had organised to demand that President Paul Biya step down.
Yannick Mbakop, Samuel Talla Giles, Stanislas Tokam, Herman Zebaze Takoubo, and Aimé Kameni Wetchadji are members of the Association for the Defence of Students’ Rights in Cameroon (Association pour la Défense des Droits des Etudiants au Cameroun (ADDEC), a student association and union advocating for reforms in the Cameroonian academic system, academic freedom and participation of students in decision making.
On 5 October 2019, eight human rights defenders, arrested for organising anti-government protests in June, were released following an exceptional hearing at the Military Tribunal in Yaounde.
On 4 October 2019, President Paul Biya issued a public declaration stating that he would annul the ongoing court cases of the human rights defenders, along with many other protesters who participated in demonstrations contesting the 2018 presidential election results. In his declaration, President Biya said that the decision was motivated by his, "...constant desire to promote a climate of peace, brotherhood, and reconciliation...in Cameroon".
The President's calls for peace and reconciliation come at a point when journalists and human rights defenders are increasingly targeted for their work in Cameroon, especially in the civil and political sphere. Those monitoring human rights violations in the Anglophone region are targeted by government forces for "painting a bad image" of the government to the international community.
On 27 June 2019, the first hearing for human rights defenders Jules Raymond Anama, Christian Ouemba Kuete, Juliette Ndim Bih, Yannick Mbakop, Samuel Talla Giles, Stanislas Tokam, Herman Zebaze Takoubo and Aimé Kameni Wetchadji took place at the Yaoundé Military Tribunal. They were charged with rebellion, complicity in subversion, failure to report, using a false title, and propagation of false news in relation to a protest they had organised to demand that President Paul Biya step down.
Jules Raymond Anama, Christian Ouemba Kuete, and Juliette Ndim Bih are members of Citizen for the Cameroonian Memory (Citoyens Pour la Mémoire du Cameroun - CPMC) a youth organisation that promotes citizen participation, government accountability, and transparency. CPMC has worked to monitor and highlight human rights violations in the Anglophone region. Yannick Mbakop, Samuel Talla Giles, Stanislas Tokam, Herman Zebaze Takoubo, and Aimé Kameni Wetchadji are members of the Association for the Defence of Students’ Rights in Cameroon (Association pour la Défense des Droits des Etudiants au Cameroun (ADDEC), a student association and union advocating for reforms in the Cameroonian academic system, academic freedom and participation of students in decision making.
On 18 May 2019, the human rights defenders were arrested by the National Judicial Police while they were taking a selfie in front of the Central Post Office in Yaoundé. They were subsequently detained at the Intelligence Services’ Office in Nlongkak-Yaoundé and transferred to the Elig Essono National Judicial Police station on the same day. They were arrested and detained in relation to a three-day protest they were planning to demand that President Paul Biya step down. Following their arrest and detention the protest did not take place.
On 5 June 2019 they were allowed their first visit at Elig Essono National Judicial Police station from their family after a period of sixteen days in detention. They were denied a visit with a lawyer for the first ten days of their detention. The human rights defenders were detained for a total of 37 days before they were charged and brought before a judge. This delay was well over the limit in Cameroon, which allows for a period of 24 hours, renewable only three times by the prosecutor or, for charges under the antiterrorism law, 15 days, renewable only one time by the prosecutor. At no point during their detention did the government produce an official document authorising the extension of their detention.
Front Line Defenders is concerned by the charges brought against Jules Raymond Anama, Christian Ouemba Kuete, Juliette Ndim Bih, Yannick Mbakop, Samuel Talla Giles, Stanislas Tokam, Herman Zebaze Takoubo and Aimé Kameni Wetchadji and the irregularities in the legal process as it believes that these acts are solely motivated by their legitimate and peaceful activities in defence of human rights.
