Human Rights Watch Frowns At Treatment Meted On Ambazonian Leader

A Senior researcher at Human Rights Watch for Central Africa, Ilaria Alegrozzi has urged the government to provide “adequate medical care” for an Ambazonian leader detained in Yaounde. The International NGO reveals that Blaise Sevidzem Berinyuy is in poor health and that he underwent inhumane treatment at the military hospital in Yaoundé, where he was handcuffed to his bed during his treatment.

“Cameroon has a fundamental obligation to treat all prisoners with humanity and respect, and as the authorities grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic, they should ensure that all prisoners can take measures such as regular handwashing and have proper access to medical care. They should also ensure sick prisoners receive the medical treatment they need and that their health or lives are not further jeopardized by increasing their risk of Covid-19 infection,” Ms. Allegrozzi said in a report published on the website of HRW.

The HRW narrates that,

“Separatist leader Blaise Sevidzem Berinyuy, also known as Shufai, was discharged from the hospital and sent back to a high-security prison in Yaoundé on May 21, despite his critical health condition and apparently following pressure by the head of the detention facility on the medical staff. Transferring Shufai, who is immunocompromised, to a crowded prison setting where transmission of Covid-19 is more likely seriously enhances the threats to his health and life.

On May 16, Shufai, one of the leaders of the separatist group “Ambazonia Interim Government,” was transferred from the prison to the hospital for non–Covid-19-related illness. His family and lawyers said he was unconscious, and his health had deteriorated significantly over the previous 10 days. They reported that on May 19, Shufai was handcuffed to his hospital bed for the night, despite being barely able to move.”