The French by origin Lydienne Yen-Eyoum, sentenced in September to 25 years in prison for embezzlement of public funds, said that her prison was a "place of torture", adding that she feared for her life, in an interview with AFP Friday.
Detained since January 2010, this lawyer was sentenced in Yaoundé on 26 September to 25 years in prison by the Cameroonian anti-corruption special criminal court (CHT) for embezzling 1,077 billion francs CFA (1.5 million euros) of public funds.
In 2004, counsel had conducted an operation of recovery of old receivables with SGBC, subsidiary of the French Bank Société Générale. In 2010, investigators accused her of having kept half of the amount recovered. But according to Lydienne Yen-Eyoum, justice established in 2008 that this sum should he given to her.
"The environment in this prison is a place of torture" where "people die every day from disease, hunger and imprisonment", she said in an interview with an AFP journalist who was able to visit her at the penitentiary of Kodengui, Yaoundé, where she is serving her sentence.
"My own life is in danger because anyone can be paid to kill me with a razor blade or by poisoning", she assured, having already been victim of abuse in her cell.
The lawyer also denounced the "steamroller" on detainees in Cameroon. "It blocks all of your accounts. It seals your assets. It prevents you from everything. Remove you all your rights, even civic", she said, making reference to her own difficulties.
The Court "rejected my requests for bail on the grounds that for such crime, there is no bail", added the lawyer, who appealed to the Supreme Court.
She denounced "discrimination" as other personalities involved in cases of corruption such as the Minister of secondary education Louis Bapes Bapes who benefited from this bail during the investigation of their cases.
In 2006, Cameroon launched a large-scale anti-corruption campaign called "Sparrow Hawk", but accused persons have frequently stated to be victims of settling of political scores.
