French expert accuses Biya regime of intimidation

In an interview published by the daily La Nouvelle Expression Monday, December 22, 2014, Eric Toussaint, a French expert revealed that through the law against terrorism recently voted in the Cameroonian Parliament, the incumbent wants to guard against possible problems before the 2018 presidential election.

According to the French intellectual, the president of the Republic of Cameroon, "tempted by a new mandate" fears a popular uprising like the one that recently resulted in the fall of the regime of Blaise Compaoré in Burkina Faso.

"It seeks to terrorise social movements and youth to prevent street demonstrations," He believed that the legal framework to repress social protest is already very serious in Cameroon before the entry into force of this law.

"For example, custody is for a period of fifteen days, renewable. Outside activities organized by the ruling party and its satellites, all demonstrations relating to the protest, denunciation or claim runs always to abuse of authority and the excessive zeal of the administration that knowingly creates the confusion between 'Declaration' and 'authorisation', and these meetings and events are always likely to disturb public order" He noted.

These remarks join those of most of the opposition parties in Cameroon intrigued by article 2 of the Act which declares punishable by the death penalty anyone who "commits any act or threat to cause death, endanger the physical integrity, to cause injury or property damage, damage to natural resources, environment or cultural heritage".