Forty-seven activists of the Cameroonian opponent Maurice Kamto’s party, including his spokesperson and his treasurer, were sentenced to terms ranging from one to seven years in prison, in particular for “Rebellion”, an official of this political formation told AFP on Monday (December 27th).
These activists were arrested on September 22, 2020 when their party, the Mouvement pour la renaissance du Cameroun (MRC), and several others were planning “Peaceful marches” against the regime of President Paul Biya, in power without division for thirty-nine years.
The police had very violently dispersed hundreds of demonstrators, especially in Douala, the economic capital, in the south of the country. More than 500 protesters were arrested in several cities across the country. And 124 are still detained, according to the MRC.
“Forty-seven activists of our party were sentenced to prison terms by the Yaoundé military court. Maurice Kamto’s spokesperson, Olivier Bibou Nissack, and treasurer Alain Fogue, receive a seven-year contract ”, said party deputy general secretary Roger Noah. “The others are sentenced to terms ranging from one to five years” firm, he continued.
“Implacable repression of opponents”
The activists were prosecuted in particular for “Rebellion” and “Attempted insurrection”, underlined Emmanuel Simh, vice-president of the MRC. In September, a group of lawyers gave up defending a hundred MRC activists, denouncing “Arbitrariness” and “The illegality of their detention”.
Mr. Kamto, unhappy rival of the head of state reelected in 2018 in a ballot contested by the opposition, presents himself as “The elected president” and was jailed without trial for nine months in 2019 before being released after intense international pressure.
The authorities have repeatedly assured that those arrested on September 22 are being prosecuted, in particular for “Attempted insurrection” or from “Revolution”. Some have already been convicted on these charges.
Two months after their arrest, Amnesty International accused Mr. Biya’s regime of pursuing a “Relentless repression of opponents” characterized by “Arbitrary arrests and detentions”.
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