Cameroonian non-governmental organizations have reported increasing persecution against people of the LGBTQ+ community in the country, one that has been evident in a spike in arrests, in addition to news of a number of arrested individuals having been forced to undergo HIV and anal examinations.
#Cameroon: Wave of arrests, abuse against #LGBT people?.
— ilaria allegrozzi (@ilariallegro) April 14, 2021
“The law criminalizing same-sex conduct puts LGBT people at a heightened risk of being mistreated, tortured, and assaulted without any consequences for the abusers.” @NeelaGhoshal
New @hrw report ?https://t.co/3FesRqU8kM pic.twitter.com/IZUZXUTFgt
According to Human Rights Watch which has received numerous concerning reports from local Cameroonian organizations, the country's authorities have reportedly arrested at least 24 people based on their sexual orientation.
Such reports are pointing at an increasing anti-LGBTQ sentiment in the country, where same-sex relationships are still punishable by up to 5 years in prison.
Recent arrests and abuses raise serious concerns about a new upsurge in anti-LGBT persecution in #Cameroon. The law criminalizing same-sex conduct puts LGBT people at a heightened risk of being mistreated, tortured, and assaulted. @NeelaGhoshal https://t.co/W5w3dxcndc pic.twitter.com/wDbYwmdCpS
— Wenzel Michalski (@WenzelMichalski) April 14, 2021
“Police told us we are devils, not humans, not normal,” a 22 year-old transgender woman who was arrested in #Cameroon in February as part of a wave of arrests & abuse against #LGBT people
— Stefan Simanowitz (@StefSimanowitz) April 14, 2021
New @hrw report by @ilariallegro?https://t.co/FPSfO9AZ6b #LGBTI
Online people have been rallying in support of the arrested young people, calling on Cameroonian authorities to release them and to stop persecuting members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Moreover, some people have noted that the legal persecution against gay people in Cameroon could eventually lead to a heightened sense of hostility against them, which could lead to more social crimes targeting them merely on the basis of their sexual orientation.
