Anglophone Crisis : Amnesty International and 16 rights groups say gov’t should investigate on atrocities committed
Amnesty International and 16 other organizations have pressurized the Government of Cameroon to immediately investigate into allegations of human rights violations committed by the armed forces and separatists fighters in the Anglophone Regions, and prosecute those responsible for the acts.
The call is among 5 others made public by the college of human rights organizations on Tuesday November 14, 2023 in a joint declaration on the sidelines of Cameroon’s Universal periodic review which comes up every four and a half years.
The Universal Periodic Review is a moment when each UN member state undergoes a review of its human rights records by other states at the United Nations Human rights council in Geneva and November 14 was Cameroon’s turn.
The college of human rights organizations, in calling on the UN member states to produce strong recommendations for the protection and respect of human rights in Cameroon, also called on the Government to accept the recommendations and take necessary measures for their implementation.
In denouncing abuses on both conflicting sides, the organizations call on the Government to immediately investigate into allegations of human rights violations committed by the armed forces and separatists fighters in the crisis hit English-speaking regions of Cameroon.
Ensure the people arrested in the context of the Anglophone crisis, and promptly brought before an ordinary court that upholds international fair trial standards, and not the military court.
The Government has also been called upon to immediately and unconditionally release all people arbitrarily detained in the context of the Anglophone.
Finally, they call on the Government to protect journalists, human right defenders and activists who receive threats for having documented or denounced crimes committed in the context of the crisis.
