- Thread starter
- Staff
- #1
Dadparvar
Staff member
- Nov 11, 2016
- 9,692
- 0
- 6
Amnesty International on Thursday condemned the life sentence handed down by a military court in Cameroon against activist Abdu Karim Ali, calling it an “affront to justice” and demanding his immediate and unconditional release.
According to Amnesty International, Ali was arrested without a warrant and arbitrarily detained after he denounced and filmed a video exposing the torture carried out by the leader of a militia in southwestern Cameroon. On April 16, a military court in Yaoundé sentenced him to life imprisonment for hostility against the homeland and secession.
The organization emphasized that Ali had to wait three years before receiving this life sentence, which it considered an “extreme punishment” for merely exercising his right to free speech. Amnesty International also criticized the military trial of the activist, stating that it violated both Cameroonian laws and international human rights law. Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) does not allow the trial of civilians before military courts, as it protects the principle of equality before the courts and the right to a fair trial in criminal proceedings. Article 19 of the same covenant protects the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, including the right to seek, receive, and impart information by any means.
Ali is a peace activist from Cameroon who advocated for a Swiss-led mediation process to resolve the armed conflict in the country and directed the Peace Research Centre in Bamenda. He was arrested in August 2022 and subsequently detained at a military police station, where he was interrogated about the video documenting the torture of civilians by a military chief.
Cameroon has been experiencing an armed conflict since 2016 between government security forces and separatist armed groups in what is known as the Anglophone crisis. This conflict began with protests in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon against the appointment of French-speaking judges and teachers in those areas. The demonstrations escalated into an armed conflict, as Cameroon’s military confronted separatists in the Anglophone regions who sought the independence of the North-West and South-West regions as the “Federal Republic of Ambazonia.” This conflict has been marked by numerous human rights violations committed by both sides, including killings, sexual violence, and abductions, along with a widespread suppression of freedom of speech. In 2024, the supporters of a youth organization were arrested for their activism.
The post Life sentence for Cameroon peace activist spurs international condemnation appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.
According to Amnesty International, Ali was arrested without a warrant and arbitrarily detained after he denounced and filmed a video exposing the torture carried out by the leader of a militia in southwestern Cameroon. On April 16, a military court in Yaoundé sentenced him to life imprisonment for hostility against the homeland and secession.
The organization emphasized that Ali had to wait three years before receiving this life sentence, which it considered an “extreme punishment” for merely exercising his right to free speech. Amnesty International also criticized the military trial of the activist, stating that it violated both Cameroonian laws and international human rights law. Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) does not allow the trial of civilians before military courts, as it protects the principle of equality before the courts and the right to a fair trial in criminal proceedings. Article 19 of the same covenant protects the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, including the right to seek, receive, and impart information by any means.
Ali is a peace activist from Cameroon who advocated for a Swiss-led mediation process to resolve the armed conflict in the country and directed the Peace Research Centre in Bamenda. He was arrested in August 2022 and subsequently detained at a military police station, where he was interrogated about the video documenting the torture of civilians by a military chief.
Cameroon has been experiencing an armed conflict since 2016 between government security forces and separatist armed groups in what is known as the Anglophone crisis. This conflict began with protests in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon against the appointment of French-speaking judges and teachers in those areas. The demonstrations escalated into an armed conflict, as Cameroon’s military confronted separatists in the Anglophone regions who sought the independence of the North-West and South-West regions as the “Federal Republic of Ambazonia.” This conflict has been marked by numerous human rights violations committed by both sides, including killings, sexual violence, and abductions, along with a widespread suppression of freedom of speech. In 2024, the supporters of a youth organization were arrested for their activism.
The post Life sentence for Cameroon peace activist spurs international condemnation appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.