UN defends rights of sexual minorities in Cameroon.

In an opinion made public on 11 October, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared that the detention of 11 men in Cameroon on the basis of their presumed sexual orientation constitutes an arbitrary deprivation of liberty contrary to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The UN human rights body further called on the government of Cameroon to adopt necessary measures to remedy the situation, including the possible repeal of the offending law. The men were detained for more than one year on anti-homosexuality offences rising from Cameroon's Penal Code.

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The ruling came in response to a complaint brought by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) on behalf of the men. The 11 men were arrested at a bar frequented by gays and lesbians in Yaounde, Cameroon. While in prison, the detainees faced harsh conditions and homophobic attacks from fellow prisoners. At their trial in June 2006, nine of the men were found guilty of "sodomy" and sentenced to ten-month jail terms. One of the men, Alim Mongoche, died of AIDS-related complications shortly after his conviction, exacerbated by the harsh conditions of detention.

"I hope this decision will bring justice for gay people and will prevent cases like that of Alim, who died needlessly," said Marc Lambert, one of the 11 former detainees.

"The opinion reinforces the fact that laws which criminalise and discriminate based on sexual orientation are contrary to international human rights law," said Philip Dayle, Legal Officer at the ICJ.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee has declared that sodomy laws are inconsistent with countries' obligations to protect the right of non-discrimination under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. At its 39th Session in Banjul, Gambia in March 2006, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights also questioned the Cameroonian government about its continued detention of the men. This decision by the UN Working Group marks one of only two occasions that this particular UN human rights body has publicly issued an opinion condemning detentions based on anti-homosexuality laws. It is being hailed by IGLHRC, ICJ, and Alternatives-Cameroun--three groups that have worked internationally and locally on behalf of the men since their arrest in May 2005--as a major human rights victory for same-gender loving people in Africa.

"Perhaps the Working Group's decision will help stop other people from being arrested and possibly dying simply because of their sexual orientation," stated Joel Gustave Nana, Human Rights Researcher for Alternatives-Cameroun.

On 7 June 2006, four women were also convicted of sodomy in Cameroon and sentenced to 3 years probation and threatened with 6 months imprisonment "if they continue their lesbianism." At least four other men are still detained in Kondengui Central Prison because of their homosexuality, some without formal charge or trial.

"The decision of the UN Working Group applies to all individuals in Cameroon who face similar charges related to consensual same-sex behavior, not just to the 11," said Cary Alan Johnson, IGLHRC Senior Advisor for Africa. "We are calling on the government of Cameroon to live up to its international and regional obligations, to release anyone currently detained on sodomy charges, and repeal all laws that led to these detentions."

Source: International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission