Human rights in Cameroon explained

Human rights in Cameroon are addressed in the constitution. However, the 2009 Human Rights Report by the United States Department of State noted concerns in regard to election irregularities, security forces torture and arbitrary arrests.[1]

Issues

A 2002 report by the UK charity Freedom from Torture said that "The prevalence of torture in Cameroon was such as to warrant a country visit from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture in 1999. He described the use of torture in Cameroon as 'widespread and systematic.'"[2]

In its 2012 Annual Review, Freedom from Torture stated that they had received 33 referrals for torture survivors from Cameroon for clinical treatment or other services.

Amnesty International reported concerns about violence by security forces. In 2009, around 100 civilians were killed during demonstrations.[3]

In April 2010, Germain Cyrille Ngota Ngota, the editor of the Cameroun Express, died in custody at Kondengui Central Prison. He had been jailed pending trial in February 2010 along with the editors of two other newspapers, for the alleged "joint forgery" of the signature of a presidential official. One of the editors said that the document in question had merely been attached to an interview request, whilst the journalist who had originated the document was on the run.[4] "The Federation of African Journalists after visiting the country described Cameroon in May 2010 as 'one of the worst jailers of journalists in Africa'."[5] [6]

As of 2020, Cameroon "currently prosecutes consensual same sex conduct more aggressively than almost any country in the world".[7]

On 27 June 2022, the Human Rights Watch reported that the armed separatist fighters killed and injured people, raped a girl, and committed other grave human rights abuses across Cameroon’s Anglophone regions. The separatists also burned schools, attacked universities, and kidnapped up to 82 people, with no apparent fear of being held to account by either their own leaders or Cameroonian law enforcement.[8]

In March 2024, the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) denounced “intense repression” by the Cameroonian government against the opposition, after the government of Paul Biya declared the grouping of its main parties in two platforms “illegal”.[9]

Historical situation

The following table gives Cameroon's ratings since 1972 in the Freedom in the World reports, published annually by Freedom House. A score of 1 is "most free" and 7 is "least free".[10]

International treaties

Cameroon's stances on international human rights treaties are as follows:

See also

Notes

1.Note that the "Year" signifies the "Year covered". Therefore the information for the year marked 2008 is from the report published in 2009, and so on.

2.As of January 1.

3.The 1982 report covers the year 1981 and the first half of 1982, and the following 1984 report covers the second half of 1982 and the whole of 1983. In the interest of simplicity, these two aberrant "year and a half" reports have been split into three year-long reports through interpolation.

External links

Notes and References

  1. , 2009 U.S Dept of State Human Rights Report: Cameroon
  2. [Medical Foundation for Care of Victims of Torture]
  3. https://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/cameroon-catalogue-human-rights-abuses-20090129 Cameroon: A catalogue of human rights abuses, Amnesty International
  4. [Reporters without Borders]
  5. News: A journalist in danger . London . The Guardian . Jeremy . Dear . 8 August 2010.
  6. [Federation of African Journalists]
  7. Book: Gloppen . Siri . Rakner . Lise . Research Handbook on Gender, Sexuality and the Law . 2020 . 9781788111157 . 196 . https://www.elgaronline.com/view/edcoll/9781788111140/9781788111140.00022.xml . LGBT rights in Africa. Edward Elgar .
  8. Web site: Cameroon: Separatist Abuses in Anglophone Regions. 27 June 2022. Human Rights Watch. 27 June 2022 .
  9. News: Human Rights Watch accuse à nouveau le Cameroun de Paul Biya de réprimer toute opposition. Le Monde, AFP. 2024-03-23. fr.
  10. Web site: Country ratings and status, 1973-2014 . Freedom in the World . 8 February 2014 . . January 2014 . XLS.
  11. Web site: Freedom in the World 2015 . Freedom House . Freedom House . 2015 .
  12. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 1. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Paris, 9 December 1948 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121020233944/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-1&chapter=4&lang=en . 20 October 2012 .
  13. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 2. International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. New York, 7 March 1966 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110211223019/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-2&chapter=4&lang=en . 11 February 2011 .
  14. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 3. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. New York, 16 December 1966 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120917040858/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-3&chapter=4&lang=en . 17 September 2012 .
  15. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 4. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. New York, 16 December 1966 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100901184638/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-4&chapter=4&lang=en . 1 September 2010 .
  16. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 5. Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. New York, 16 December 1966 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations .
  17. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 6. Convention on the non-applicability of statutory limitations to war crimes and crimes against humanity. New York, 26 November 1968 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations .
  18. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 7. International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid. New York, 30 November 1973 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120718122932/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-7&chapter=4&lang=en . 18 July 2012 .
  19. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 8. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. New York, 18 December 1979 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120823144158/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-8&chapter=4&lang=en . 23 August 2012 .
  20. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 9. Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. New York, 10 December 1984 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101108052518/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-9&chapter=4&lang=en . 8 November 2010 .
  21. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 11. Convention on the Rights of the Child. New York, 20 November 1989 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140211151110/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-11&chapter=4&lang=en . 11 February 2014 .
  22. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 12. Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty. New York, 15 December 1989 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121020234014/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-12&chapter=4&lang=en . 20 October 2012 .
  23. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 13. International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. New York, 18 December 1990 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120825222904/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-13&chapter=4&lang=en . 25 August 2012 .
  24. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 8b. Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. New York, 6 October 1999 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations .
  25. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 11b. Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. New York, 25 May 2000 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations .
  26. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 11c. Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. New York, 25 May 2000 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations .
  27. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 15. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. New York, 13 December 2006 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120819033725/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-15&chapter=4&lang=en . 19 August 2012 .
  28. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 15a. Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. New York, 13 December 2006 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160113202037/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-15-a&chapter=4&lang=en . 13 January 2016 .
  29. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 16. International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. New York, 20 December 2006 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations .
  30. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 3a. Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. New York, 10 December 2008 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations .
  31. Web site: United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 11d. Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure . New York, 19 December 2011. New York, 10 December 2008 . 2012-08-29 . United Nations . United Nations . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120825214748/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-11-d&chapter=4&lang=en . 25 August 2012 .

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