Gay Rights and Life Cameroon

Contents:

• SECRET VIO CLUB GIV RPE TO GAY MEN CAMEROON
• RENNTRE GRATUE GAY CAMEROUN
• CENTRE-CAMEROUN - RENNTRE GRATUE GAY
• CAMEROON 'GAY SEX' MEN ACQUTED
• GAY RIGHTS AND LIFE CAMEROON
• INSI THE STGGLE FOR LGBT RIGHTS CAMEROON: 'IT'S NORMAL TO KILL SOMEBODY FOR BEG GAY'
• A HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP SAYS IT’S NOT SAFE TO BE GAY IN CAMEROON

SECRET VIO CLUB GIV RPE TO GAY MEN CAMEROON

DOUALA, April 14 (Rters) - Cameroon secury forc have arrted, threatened or asslted at least 24 people sce Febary a ramped-up crackdown on lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT+) people, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on rights group said recent documented acunts of abe, cludg that of a 17-year old boy, pot to an overall rise of police actn agast LGBT+ people Cameroon, where same-sex relatns are crimalised.

8 for wearg women's clothg while eatg at a rtrant Douala, Cameroon's largt Njkam, a lol social media celebry known as Shakiro, and Roland Mouthe were charged urt on Monday wh "attempted homosexualy". 24 and arrted 13 people on charg of spected homosexualy, HRW said.

RENNTRE GRATUE GAY CAMEROUN

Several other mass arrts have been ma the last two years, cludg those of 53 people for homosexualy-related offens at a meetg of another HIV anizatn May mpaign group said several people have been subjected to forced anal examatns as part of efforts by secury forc to nfirm accatns. Based on Human Rights Watch’s monorg and discsns wh Cameroonian nonernmental anizatns, the recent acunts of abe documented here seem to be part of an overall uptick police actn agast lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) people Cameroon. On Febary 24, police officers raid the office of Colibri, an anizatn that provis HIV preventn and treatment servic, Bafosam, Wt Regn, and arrted 13 people on homosexualy charg, cludg 7 Colibri staff.

Human Rights Watch has prevly documented that prosecutors Cameroon have troduced medil reports based on forced anal exams to urt, ntributg to nvictns of dividuals charged wh nsensual homosexual nduct. In Bertoua, on Febary 14, gendarm arrted 12 youth, cludg at least 1 teenager, on homosexualy charg and subjected them to ill-treatment before releasg them the same day. Prosecutors charged them wh homosexual nduct, lack of inty rds, and public cency.

“It is not illegal to be homosexual or transgenr, ” said Cameroonian lawyer Alice Nkom.

CENTRE-CAMEROUN - RENNTRE GRATUE GAY

In May 2020, police arrted 53 people, most of them LGBT, at a gatherg hosted by an HIV anizatn a hotel Bafosam and charged them wh “homosexualy” related offens. They were charged wh “homosexualy, ” pimpg, and plicy pimpg, and were held at the judicial police statn. On Febary 14, gendarm arrted 12 youth, cludg a 17-year-old boy, a rtrant Bertoua on homosexualy-related charg.

CAMEROON 'GAY SEX' MEN ACQUTED

Gendarm wanted to nfs we were homosexuals. They were charged wh homosexualy-related offens, lack of inty rds, and public cency, and taken to a gendarmerie briga Nkoulouloun neighborhood, where they spent the night. Gendarm acced them of beg homosexuals and lled them “dirty faggots.

· The jtice mister should make absolutely clear, particular to all law enforcement, prosecutg and judicial thori, that Cameroonian law do not make a crime or offense to be a lbian, gay, bisexual or transgenr person, or to drs a way that is perceived as genr nonnformg, and that any official purportg to exercise thory to ta, charge, or prosecute an LGBT person on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientatn or genr nonnformy, or threateng to do so, is actg whout a lawful basis and shall be held to acunt for abe of power. (Nairobi) – Secury forc Cameroon are failg to protect lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and tersex (LGBTI) people om vlent attacks and stead are arrtg the victims, Human Rights Watch said today.

“Three men kicked me, slapped me, pulled me by my cloth, stole my bag wh my phone, and money jt bee they said I am gay, ” one of the victims said. ’ They said: ‘We should kill you bee you are monsters and searched our phon lookg for any ‘evince’ that we were gay.

GAY RIGHTS AND LIFE CAMEROON

On March 9, a group of at least 10 people asslted a 32-year-old teacher Buea, Southwt regn, accg him of homosexualy and repeatedly slappg and kickg him and draggg him on the ground. The police also taed the teacher on spicn of homosexualy. The attackers then lled the police, who me to arrt at least six men, accg them of homosexualy, two of the victims said.

So, I opened, and some 15 men broke screamg: ‘Here are the gay men!

INSI THE STGGLE FOR LGBT RIGHTS CAMEROON: 'IT'S NORMAL TO KILL SOMEBODY FOR BEG GAY'

They found lubrints and ndoms and acced of beg homosexual.

Group Attack Agast a Gay Man and His Relativ Yaoundé (April 5). On April 5, a group beat, threatened, sulted, and huiated a 29-year-old gay man, outsi his home Yaoundé’s Bastos neighborhood, as well as his 55-year-old mother and 16- year-old sister, who tried to fend him. She said she didn’t want to see me around bee I am gay.

A HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP SAYS IT’S NOT SAFE TO BE GAY IN CAMEROON

Lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and tersex (LGBTI) people Cameroon are all too aware of homophobic rhetoric and vlent attacks agast them. The flickerg light of a vio screen illumat fac of young men stg on bench -- members of a vio club terg exclively for gay men, a haven a society where is perilo to be same-sex attracted.

"In the afternoon, we show documentari about the gay muny, wh edy seri the eveng and later the night, films of a sexual nature, " he, 30, and his pann e several tim a week. Convictns are rare, but illegaly mak gays easy prey for racketeers and homophob. "They told me, 'nfs you're the queers' godfather, you homo, ' and beat me on the sol of the feet wh the flat of a machete bla, " he says.

Crimals claimg to be pla-cloth police sometim show up to extort gays, Jean-Pierre says.