Opposition Leader, Tchiroma Bakary Files Lawsuits in France Against Paul Biya , Others Over Post-Electoral Repression
Limbe, Cameroon— Issa Tchiroma Bakary, the president of National Salvation Front of Cameroon, designating himself as the President-Elect of the Republic of Cameroon, announced on June 12, 2026, that he has filed two criminal lawsuits with the Judicial Tribunal of Paris.
The legal action, based on the principle of universal jurisdiction, targets President Paul Biya and high-ranking Cameroonian political, civil, police, and military officials for alleged human rights violations.
The lawsuits stem from the government’s response to demonstrations that occurred following the October 12, 2025, presidential election.
In a public communiqué, Tchiroma Bakary alleged that the state orchestrated “wild and brutal repression” against citizens demanding what he termed the “truth of the ballot box”.
According to the provided documentation, the legal filings include detailed lists of individuals named as perpetrators in the post-electoral crisis. The first lawsuit lists 21 political, civil, police, and military personalities, including Head of State Paul Barthélémy Biya Bi Mvondo, Secretary General of the Presidency Ferdinand Ngoh-Ngoh, and Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji.
A second lawsuit, specifically concerning the case of the late Anicet Ekané, names 15 officials, including many of the same high-ranking members of the administration.
Additionally, a list identifies 17 specific men in uniform accused of firing on demonstrators across the country during the October 2025 events.
Tchiroma Bakary, whose complaint was officially registered at the Paris prosecutor’s office on June 12, 2026, under number 26163000304, stated that domestic judicial channels in Cameroon were insufficient.
“Where the Cameroonian justice, subjugated to the usurping regime and therefore ‘under orders,’ would necessarily fail, International Justice will hear the victims and/or their families, declare the law, and serve justice,” Tchiroma Bakary wrote in his announcement.
The legal operation is being coordinated by his spokesperson, Me Alice Nkom, alongside various lawyers and civil society actors. Tchiroma Bakary indicated that further steps would be directed toward other international bodies regarding allegations of arbitrary detention and violations of fundamental freedoms.
The Constitutional Council declared Paul Biya as winner of the October 2025 presidential election, but Mr Bakary contested the results, showing evidence from his own return sheets that he beat Biya.
