high court orders release of man jailed for sodomy

By BTM Reporter

 March 1, 2007: Two weeks ago the High Court in Yaounde, Cameroon, commanded the immediate release of Alexandre D. who was detained for more than two years without charge or trial on allegations of homosexuality.

The ruling was received with relief by the Cameroonian gay and lesbian community, represented by Alternatives-Cameroun, Inter-LGBT in Paris and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) in New York.

The three organizations hired human rights attorney Michel Togue to represent Alexandre D. in a habeas corpus hearing in which the judge ruled that the state had presented no relevant evidence.

Alexandre D. thanked those assisted in his release. “I am really happy to be free and wish to thank those organisations who have been fighting for the protection of my fundamental rights,” he said while leaving Kondegui Central Prison.

The jovial Alexandre D. had no legal representation or external support until human rights attorney Alice Nkom came to fight for his rights representing him.

“We are aware of at least one other man who is still being held in Kondegui Prison because of his sexuality,” said Charles Gueboguo of Alternatives-Cameroun.

Gueboguo continued that; “There may be dozens of others around the country and hundreds if not more throughout Africa.”

Consensual same-sex acts remain a criminal offence punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment under Article 347 of the Cameroonian Penal code, despite condemnation of such laws by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the UN Human Rights Committee.

“Alexandre is the seventeenth Cameroonian person in the last year to have been released after spending time in jail or charged with homosexuality,” explained Cary Alan Johnson who is a Senior Specialist for Africa at IGLHRC.