Nasako Besingi arbitrarily arrested and detained incommunicado
On 27 November 2017, the Examining Military Judge in Buea, Cameroon, officially dropped all charges and signed the release order for human rights defender Nasako Besingi, who was subsequently released following over two months in detention.
Nasako Besingi is a human rights defender and the director of Struggle to Economize the Future Environment – SEFE, a non-governmental organisation based in the village of Mundemba, Ndian Division, Cameroon, which has asserted the land rights of local communities in the context of the development of palm oil plantations. Nasako Besingi has been leading his community in the protests against the development of palm oil plantations by the American agribusiness company Herakles Farm. Most recently, the human rights defender has vehemently condemned the situation with regards to the human rights violations in context of the current crises in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon.
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- 27 November 2017 : Human rights defender Nasako Besingi released and charges dropped
- 8 November 2017 : Nasako Besingi remains in detention
- 11 October 2017 : Nasako Besingi denied bail
- 29 September 2017 : Police question Nasako Besingi
- 26 September 2017 : Nasako Besingi arbitrarily arrested and detained incommunicado
On 27 November 2017, the Examining Military Judge in Buea, Cameroon, officially dropped all charges and signed the release order for human rights defender Nasako Besingi, who was subsequently released following over two months in detention.
Nasako Besingi is a human rights defender and the director of Struggle to Economize the Future Environment – SEFE, a non-governmental organisation based in the village of Mundemba, Ndian Division, Cameroon, which has asserted the land rights of local communities regarding the development of palm oil plantations. Nasako Besingi has been leading his community in protests against the development of palm oil plantations by the American agribusiness company Herakles Farms. Most recently, the human rights defender has vehemently condemned human rights violations committed during the current crises in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon.
On 27 November 2017, all charges against Nasako Besingi were dropped and the Examining Military Judge in Buea signed an order for his release. Following approval by the Superintendent of Prisons, the human rights defender was released the same day. Nasako Besingi had been detained in Buea Prison since his arrest on 25 September 2017 and was denied bail pending his trial result. He was formally charged with insurrection and terrorism under the 2014 Anti-Terrorism Law which could have resulted in the death penalty had he been found guilty.
The arrest and detention of Nasako Besingi follows a larger pattern of judicial harassment against the human rights defender due to his peaceful work in promoting human rights in Cameroon. On 21 January 2016, the Court of First Instance of Mundemba convicted Nasako Besingi of conducting unlawful assemblies and organising and inciting protests. He was sentenced to either pay a fine of 344,400 CFA Francs or serve one year’s imprisonment. On 3 November 2015, the human rights defender was convicted on defamation charges, resulting from claims by Herakles Farms that a private email had caused injury to the company. In the email, the human rights defender reported a violent attack he had suffered in 2012 in which he recognised the assailants as employees of Herakles Farms. The human rights defender was ordered to pay a fine of 1 million CFA Francs (approximately €1,500) or face 3 years' imprisonment.
The 2014 Anti-Terrorism Law, ratified by President Paul Biya in early 2015, allows for Cameroonian citizens to be charged in military courts and to face the death penalty for acts of terrorism. Moreover, the definition of terrorism contained within the law is extremely vague, leaving a wide purview for its application. The law is notably being used to target and charge human rights defenders who are leading the call to respect the human rights of citizens in Anglophone regions. This has included barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla who was arrested on 17 January 2017 and detained until his release by presidential decree on 31 August 2017.
Front Line Defenders welcomes the decision to release and drop all charges against Nasako Besingi, however, it urges the authorities to cease targeting all human rights defenders in Cameroon and guarantee in all circumstances that they are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.
Human rights defender Nasako Besingi has been detained for almost 2 months following his arrest on 25 September 2017. He is formally charged with insurrection and terrorism, which, under the 2014 Anti-Terrorism Law, allows for Cameroonian citizens to be tried in military courts and to face the death penalty for acts of terrorism. Since being detained, the health of the human rights defender has deteriorated due to poor access to sanitation, food and medication.
On 16 October 2017, the examining magistrate visited Nasako Besingi’s office and home in Mundemba and conducted interviews with family members and neighbours to compile a locus report as part of the investigation. The examining magistrate is currently writing a follow-up report for the Minister of Justice, whose decision based on it will heavily influence whether or not the human rights defender is prosecuted.
Front Line Defenders continues to be seriously concerned at the continued detention of Nasako Besingi which is part of a larger pattern of harassment against the human rights defender.
On 5 October 2017, human rights defender Nasako Besingi was denied bail and remains in detention at the Buea prison, in the south-west region of Cameroon.
Nasako Besingi is a human rights defender and the director of Struggle to Economize the Future Environment – SEFE, a non-governmental organisation based in the village of Mundemba, Ndian Division, Cameroon, which has asserted the land rights of local communities regarding the development of palm oil plantations. Nasako Besingi has been leading his community in protests against the development of palm oil plantations by the American agribusiness company Herakles Farms. Most recently, the human rights defender has vehemently condemned human rights violations committed during the current crises in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon.
On 5 October 2017, Nasako Besingi appeared before the Examining Military Judge in Buea where after four hours of questioning his application for bail was denied. The human rights defender has been formally charged with insurrection and terrorism. He will be tried in a military court and faces the death penalty under the 2014 anti-terrorism law if found guilty. The case has been postponed until 11 October 2017. Nasako Besingi was arrested on 25 September 2017 by local police officers, gendarmes and army officers at his office, next to his home. The officers searched his office and confiscated documents, a laptop, his phone, SIM cards as well as the human rights defender’s identity card and passport. Following the search he was interrogated and taken to Buea prison. Fellow human rights defenders report that he was beaten by the armed forces during the transfer. He is in a deteriorating health condition and is in need of medical attention.
The arrest and detention of Nasako Besingi follows a larger pattern of judicial harassment against the human rights defender due to his peaceful work in promoting human rights in Cameroon. On 21 January 2016, the Court of First Instance of Mundemba convicted Nasako Besingi of conducting unlawful assemblies and organising and inciting protests where he was sentenced to either pay a fine of 344,400 CFA Francs or serve one year’s imprisonment. On 3 November 2015, he was convicted on defamation charges, brought against him on the basis of claims by Herakles Farms that a private email caused injury to the company. In the email, the human rights defender reported a violent attack he had suffered in 2012 in which he recognised the assailants as employees of Herakles Farms. The human rights defender was ordered to pay a fine of 1 million CFA Francs (approximately €1,500) or face 3 years' imprisonment.
The 2014 anti-terrorism law allows for Cameroonian citizens to be charged in military courts and to face the death penalty for acts of terrorism, however the definition of terrorism contained within the law is extremely vague. In particular, human rights defenders leading the call to respect the human rights of citizens in Anglophone regions are being targeted and charged by the authorities under the law which was ratified by President Paul Biya in early 2015. This has included barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla who was arrested on 17 January 2017 and detained until his release by presidential decree on 31 August 2017.
Front Line Defenders expresses serious concern at the continued detention of Nasako Besingi which is part of a larger pattern of harassment against the human rights defender.
On 25 September 2017, Nasako Besingi was taken from the Gendarmerie in Mundemba for questioning to Buea Police headquarters and then later to the Gendarmerie in Buea. He was notified of the initial charges against him of insurrection, threats, hostility and promoting false information. He was then taken to Buea prison that same day.
On 28 September 2017, at around 11am, the human rights defender was brought before the Buea Military Tribunal where he was questioned by the investigating judge, following which he was taken back to Buea prison. Nasako Besingi's family members have been in touch with him, however, the charges against the human rights defender have not yet been confirmed and the investigation is still ongoing.
On 25 September 2017, human rights defender Nasako Besingi was arbitrarily arrested by local police officers, gendarmes and army officers in his office in Mundemba, Ndian Division, Cameroon.
Download the Urgent Appeal (PDF)
On 25 September 2017, at around 6.30am, local police officers, gendarmes and army officers entered Nasako Besingi’s office, located next to his home, and arrested the human rights defender. The officers searched Nasako Besingi’s office and confiscated documents, a laptop, his phone, SIM cards as well as the human rights defender’s identity card and passport. Following the search, Nasako Besingi was taken by car to the Gendarmerie brigade in Mundemba but was never informed of the charges against him. Twenty minutes after his arrival at the Gendarmerie brigade, he was seen being taken by car from the brigade to an unknown location.
The arrest of Nasako Besingi follows a larger pattern of judicial harassment against the human rights defender due to his peaceful work in promoting human rights in Cameroon. On 21 January 2016, the Court of First Instance of Mundemba sentenced Nasako Besingi to either pay a fine of 344,400 CFA Francs (approximately €524) or serve one year’s imprisonment. On 3 November 2015, he was convicted on defamation charges brought against him after Herakles Farms claimed that an article published by the human rights defender caused injury to the company. In the article in question, the human rights defender reported a violent attack he had suffered in 2012, in which he recognised the assailants as employees of Herakles Farms. The human rights defender was ordered to pay a fine of 1 million CFA Francs (approximately €1,500) or face 3 years' imprisonment.
Front Line Defenders expresses serious concern at the arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detention of Nasako Besingi which is part of a larger pattern of harassment against the human rights defender.
Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Cameroon to:
1. Immediately and unconditionally release Nasako Besingi, as Front Line Defenders believes that he is being held solely as a result of his legitimate and peaceful work in the defence of human rights;
2. Inform Nasako Besingi’s family and lawyer of the location of his detention, and allow them immediate and unfettered access to him;
3. Ensure that the treatment of Nasako Besingi while in detention adheres to the conditions set out in the ‘Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment', adopted by UN General Assembly resolution 43/173 of 9 December 1988;
4. Cease targeting all human rights defenders in Cameroon and guarantee in all circumstances that they are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.
