United Nations’ (UN) working group on arbitrary detention declared that the detention of eleven Cameroonian men on the grounds of their presumed sexual orientation was arbitrary and constituted a violation to their rights.Therefore in this regard, that violates articles 17 and 26 of the International Covenant on the Civil and Political rights.The UN ruling came through a complaint by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) on behalf of the eleven men. These men were arrested in 2005 in a gay bar in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and jailed for a year under the Cameroonian Penal Code which dictates six months to five years.
After many attempts due to lack of evidence, the men were finally tried in June this year, but only nine of the men as two had already been released.
"I hope this decision will bring justice for gay people and will prevent cases like that of Alim, who died needlessly," commented Marc Lambert, one of the 11 former detainees.
The UN ruling was warmly welcomed by IGLHRC, ICJ, and Alternatives-Cameroun, which are the three organisations that have worked internationally and locally on behalf of the Yaoundé 11since their arrest, and this has been so far one of the major human rights victories for homosexuals in Africa.
According to Human Rights Researcher for Alternatives-Cameroun, the UN body's decision “will help stop other people from being arrested and possibly dying simply because of their sexual orientation.
”IGLHRC says there are still many homosexuals, Africa in particular, who get apprehended but without trials and formal charges.
Cary Alan Johnson, IGLHRC Senior coordinator for Africa, is warning the government of Cameroon “to live up to its international and regional obligations, (and therefore) to release anyone currently detained on sodomy charges, and repeal all laws that lead to these detentions.”
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