Human rights in Cameroon
Encyclopedia
Human rights in Cameroon are addressed in the constitution
Constitution of Cameroon
The Constitution of Cameroon is the supreme law of the Republic of Cameroon. The document consists of a preamble and 13 Parts, each divided into Articles...

. However, the 2009 Human Rights Report by the United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...

 noted concerns in regards to election irregularities, security forces torture and arbitrary arrests.

Issues

A 2002 report by the Medical Foundation for Care of Victims of Torture
Medical Foundation for Care of Victims of Torture
Freedom from Torture is the working name of The Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture., . The organisation changed its name in 2011. Freedom from Torture is a British registered charity which solely treats torture survivors...

 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 describes the use of torture in Cameroon as 'widespread and systematic.'"

Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...

 reported concerns about violence by security forces. In 2009, around 100 civilians were killed during demonstrations

In April 2010 the editor of the Cameroun Express
Cameroun Express
The Cameroun Express is a weekly newspaper in Cameroon. It is also available online.In April 2010 its then editor, Ngota Ngota Germain, died in custody. 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...

died in custody. 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. "The Federation of African Journalists after visiting the country described Cameroon in May 2010 as 'one of the worst jailers of journalists in Africa'."

External links

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