Police Arrest LGBTQ+ Individuals in Cameroon
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Cameroonian authorities have arrested 24 people in April 2021 for alleged consensual same-sex conduct and gender non-conformity. These arrests come amid an uptick in abuse toward LGBTQ+ people across Cameroon.
Cameroon is one of 31 African countries that criminalize homosexual activity. Per article 347-1 of the Cameroonian Penal Code, “Whoever has sexual relations with a person of the same sex shall be punished with imprisonment from 6 months to 5 years and fine of from CFAF 20,000 to CFAF 200,000 ($36.53 to $365.30).” LGBTQ+ individuals are constantly detained without cause by law enforcement and subjected to verbal abuse, beatings, and even torture.
Police have not only targeted those they suspect to be in the LGBTQ+ community, but they have also stomped out advocacy whenever possible. On February 24, police raided the office of Colibri, an organization that provides HIV treatment services, and they arrested 13 people on homosexuality charges. One of those arrested, a 22-year-old transgender woman recalled, “Police told us we are devils, not humans, not normal. They beat a trans woman in the face, slapped her twice in front of me.”
The situation in Cameroon caught international headlines on February 8 when prominent transgender social media star Shakiro was arrested along with her friend Patricia in the Cameroonian city of Douala for wearing women’s clothing and subsequently refusing to produce identification cards when asked by law enforcement. After more than 2 months of waiting, Shakiro is still imprisoned, awaiting a trial set to be held on April 26 that has been delayed several times. While in custody, Shakiro was imprisoned with more than 30 men in a 10-square-meter space where detainees had to sleep on the floor. Additionally, Cameroonian LGBTQ+ advocacy organization Working For Our Well Being claimed that Shakiro and her friend Patricia were forced to sign confessions without being able to read the document.
Homosexuality laws within Cameroon have come under increased scrutiny because of their arbitrary application and the violence associated with these arrests. Cameroonian lawyer Alice Nkom contends, “It is not illegal to be homosexual or transgender… According to Cameroonian law, it is the act which is the crime. So, this is a blatant human rights violation. They should be released immediately.”
The human rights violations do not stop with the detainment of these individuals. One of the 24 people detained in the most recent round of arrests claimed that they were forced to undergo a mandatory HIV test as well as an anal examination. These types of examinations are part of a larger body of debunked 20th-century science that tried to use physical characteristics to differentiate between heterosexual and homosexual individuals. Additionally, these tests violate the UN Convention against Torture, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the African Convention on Human and Peoples' Rights. Despite this, doctors in Cameroon can still present such exams as “proof” of homosexual activity during trials without contradiction.
Continued complacency on the part of the international community will only perpetuate violence against LGBTQ+ people across the African continent.