- Thread starter
- Staff
- #1
Dadparvar
Staff member
- Nov 11, 2016
- 10,631
- 0
- 6
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday decried the “lenient” sentencing of military officers involved in the 2020 Ngarbuh massacre in Cameroon, in which 21 civilians were killed.
On February 14, 2020, military and Fulani Militiamen killed 21 civilians, “including 13 children and 1 pregnant woman.” Homes and properties were pillaged and burned, and village residents told HRW that they believed the attack was punishment for “harboring separatist fighters.”
The military court in Yaoundé sentenced three soldiers involved in the killings on Thursday after being tried in absentia. The court found the soldiers guilty of “participating in a joint operation with an allied ethnic militia” and handed down sentences within a range of five to 10 years.
HRW reported that prosecutors reportedly failed to pursue evidence as to “who planned and ordered the killings,” the court “refused to admit key evidence, including death certificates to identify all of those killed,” and families of the victims were “allowed only minimal participation” in proceedings. Proceedings were reportedly delayed due to non-attendance of judges, and the trial lasted five years.
Senior Africa researcher Illaria Allegrozzi commented that “the failure of Cameroon’s prosecutors and judiciary to investigate those bearing command responsibility, combined with the denial of reparations, exacerbates the suffering of victims’ families.”
In 2020, Cameroonian authorities sought to discredit organizations who reported or condemned the massacre. At the time of the attack, the minister of territorial administration claimed that NGOs were receiving large sums of money to write the reports.
HRW in a post on X called the conviction a “partial step toward justice” and welcomed the prosecution of remaining perpetrators. It called on any further sentencing of remaining perpetrators to reflect the severity of the crimes committed.
There is a 10-day appeal period open to both defendants and civil parties. Allegrozzi called on the UN Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa to offer any legal assistance to families of the victims, to enable them to appeal and receive appropriate compensation.
The killing of civilians and children violates international law, including all four Geneva Conventions and statutes of the International Criminal Court.
The post Rights group decries light sentencing of Cameroon massacre perpetrators 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.
On February 14, 2020, military and Fulani Militiamen killed 21 civilians, “including 13 children and 1 pregnant woman.” Homes and properties were pillaged and burned, and village residents told HRW that they believed the attack was punishment for “harboring separatist fighters.”
The military court in Yaoundé sentenced three soldiers involved in the killings on Thursday after being tried in absentia. The court found the soldiers guilty of “participating in a joint operation with an allied ethnic militia” and handed down sentences within a range of five to 10 years.
HRW reported that prosecutors reportedly failed to pursue evidence as to “who planned and ordered the killings,” the court “refused to admit key evidence, including death certificates to identify all of those killed,” and families of the victims were “allowed only minimal participation” in proceedings. Proceedings were reportedly delayed due to non-attendance of judges, and the trial lasted five years.
Senior Africa researcher Illaria Allegrozzi commented that “the failure of Cameroon’s prosecutors and judiciary to investigate those bearing command responsibility, combined with the denial of reparations, exacerbates the suffering of victims’ families.”
In 2020, Cameroonian authorities sought to discredit organizations who reported or condemned the massacre. At the time of the attack, the minister of territorial administration claimed that NGOs were receiving large sums of money to write the reports.
HRW in a post on X called the conviction a “partial step toward justice” and welcomed the prosecution of remaining perpetrators. It called on any further sentencing of remaining perpetrators to reflect the severity of the crimes committed.
There is a 10-day appeal period open to both defendants and civil parties. Allegrozzi called on the UN Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa to offer any legal assistance to families of the victims, to enable them to appeal and receive appropriate compensation.
The killing of civilians and children violates international law, including all four Geneva Conventions and statutes of the International Criminal Court.
The post Rights group decries light sentencing of Cameroon massacre perpetrators 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.