Following the publication of the latest Human Rights report by the American based Freedom House NGO, Cameroon’s Minister of Communication; Issa Tchiroma took to the air to vindicate his government of all the charges levied against it by the organization. He hurriedly convened a press conference where he told reporters the government’s side of the story.
According to Tchiroma, all the allegations levied against the government of Paul Biya, are unfounded and baseless. In effect, according to its latest report on human rights, civil and political liberties in 195 countries sampled, Freedom House ranked Cameroon as “Not Free.” In detail, Cameroon is considered as “Not Free” at the level of Civil and Political rights. Also, the media in 2015, as per the report wasn’t free in Cameroon. Generally, Cameroon scored 24/100 while other African countries like Cape Verde and Benin are classified as “Free” with aggregate scores of 90/100 and 82/100 respectively.
Even Burkina Faso that has been battling with political mutations is described as “Partly Free” in the report with an aggregate score of 59/100. Cameroon falls on the same scale with countries like Afghanistan (24/100) and Congo Kinshasa (25/100). To Tchiroma, this is an insult to Paul Biya, the architect of Peace who has been doing his best to promote human rights and opening the political landscape to all. He cited the creation of ELECAM as a victory for Cameroon’s democracy.
As to the question of civil liberties and protest marches, Tchiroma communicated to the reporters present at Tuesday’s press briefing that there is no political interference in all the judiciary processes in Cameroon as everybody is presumed innocent until proven guilty before an independent court. To him the laws of Cameroon are clear as concerns protest marches; everybody is free to assembly and hold a protest march if and only it is free and prior notice sent to the Administrative and security officers, he added.
To him, for the organization to qualify Cameroon as “not free” is baseless as its informants reported what the organization wanted to hear. He concluded by saying the report cannot be balanced as Freedom House decided not to work with people who are in charge of protecting Human rights in Cameroon. Reporters are however, used to Tchiroma’s rhetoric as in September 2015, he invited them for a similar show when Transparency International also published a report condemning Cameroon’s human rights abuses in the fight against Boko Haram.
So what actually is the situation in Cameroon? Since 2008 there has been no successful public manifestation in Cameroon against the government of Paul Biya, and what took place that year was violently suppressed by the military leaving about 148 persons death, as reported by Human Rights groups. Many who were incarcerated then are still languishing in jails till date. All public gatherings have been transformed to praise singing congregations to Paul Biya and the CPDM party he heads.
The political field is tilted to one side with the government providing logistics and support for the CPDM. Governors and District officers now attend CPDM party meetings while opposition party members who gather in their offices to make press statements or assemble to publicly express their grievances are brutally arrested.
In March 2016, Vincent-Sosthène Fouda of the Cameroon Movement for Social Democracy was put under house arrest when he called on Biya and his government to resign following poor medical services rendered to Cameroonians. As to ELECAM that Tchiroma quoted, it is manned by “former” barons of the CPDM.
Kah Walla, an opposition leader and his “Black Friday” movement have become used to police batons and tear gas that follow them everywhere they go. The state broadcaster CRTV and Cameroon Tribune published more articles on the ruling party than any other party.
