Yaounde: court rejects appeal for release of 15 CRM activists
Judge Gaston Kana of the Central Court of Appeal in Yaounde has this April 18th, rejected the appeal of “habeas corpus” for the release of Olivier Bibou Nissack, the spokesperson of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, CRM, political party alongside 14 other militants.
Reports reveal the procedure was initiated following a decision from the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention which had stated that their detention was illegal and called for the release of the party members.
It should be recalled that these activists were among the 62 CRM militants who were arrested in September 2020 as part of peaceful demonstrations organized by the party to contest the re-election of President Paul Biya. At least 47 of them had received sentences ranging from one to seven years of imprisonment.
The situation has raised concerns from international human rights organizations, who have called on the government to respect fundamental freedoms and put an end to arbitrary arrests and repression against political opponents.
One of the militants, Kessouo Mbevo Alexis, was released on March 16th, 2023, from the Court of Appeal in Yaounde after pleading not guilty to revolution, rebellion and public demonstrations.
The President of the Sylvain Souop Collective of Lawyers, Hippolyte Meli, the defendant’s lawyer after his release, had stated that it was a step forward and had added that they would not relent in their efforts to ensure that the other members are released.
“We welcome this decision, we intend to present ourselves before any judicial or non-judicial bodies to continue the quest for the release of the 61 others still deprived of their freedom,” he stated.
