Calls for Release of 36 Activists as Cameroon Prepares to Vote
Cameroon has marked five years since the violent repression of protests organised by the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC) in September 2020.
More than 500 people were arbitrarily arrested, and 36 remain imprisoned in Yaoundé’s Kondengui prison. The opposition supporters, including senior figures Alain Fogué and Olivier Bibou Nissack, were sentenced by a military court to between five and seven years for “rebellion” and “attempted insurrection.”
Amnesty International has condemned the detentions as arbitrary, calling for their immediate release and criticising the use of military courts to try civilians. Despite appeals lodged with the Supreme Court, no rulings have been made, and concerns have grown as Cameroon prepares for presidential elections on 12 October. 92-year-old President Paul Biya is seeking an eighth term.
