Following the arbitrary
arrest of Cameroon’s main opposition leader Maurice Kamto, Samira Daoud,
Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa Deputy Director said:
“The arrest of Maurice
Kamto and four of his staff supporters signals an escalating crackdown on
opposition leaders, human rights defenders and activists in Cameroon. The
authorities must immediately and unconditionally release them, as well as
peaceful protesters detained at the weekend simply for exercising their rights
to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
“Instead of taking steps
towards improving the country’s human rights record, we are witnessing the
authorities becoming less and less tolerant of criticism. This must stop.
“The authorities should
now allow people to enjoy their human rights including by ending the crackdown
on peaceful demonstrations and dissenting voices
Background
Yesterday, opposition
party leader Maurice Kamto, president of Movement for the Renaissance of
Cameroon (MRC), who according to the electoral commission came second in the
October 2018 presidential election was arrested in the capital Douala along
with two of his supporters Albert Dzongang and Christian Penda Ekoka. They were
brought to the Yaoundé ‘’Police Judiciaire’’ and were not allowed to meet their
lawyers.
In parallel, two other
members of the MRC were arrested. They are Alain Fogue, treasurer of the party
and Célestin Djamen who was taken by the police from Douala general hospital
where he was undertaking medical care after being wounded by bullet during the
weekend protest.
Last weekend the MRC
called for public protests or “marches blanches” across the country to protest
against alleged mass irregularities in the electoral process.
More than hundred
protesters were arrested in Douala, Yaoundé, Dschang, Bafoussam and Bafang.
Around 50 were released on Sunday and the remaining have been placed under
administrative custody.
Courtesy: Amnesty International, January 29,2019
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