Amnesty urges Cameroon to repeal laws against gay relationships
London, 11 Mar – (ANA) - Laws criminalizing consensual same-sex relationships must be overhauled by the Cameroonian government, Amnesty International said as it called for the release of those currently in prison for homosexuality.
"It is time to end the arrest, detention, prosecution and other forms of persecution and discrimination against people perceived or known to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender," said Erwin van der Borght, Amnesty International’s director for Africa.
Since March 2011, 13 people in Cameroon have been arrested for allegedly practising homosexuality. Most have been targeted on the grounds of their perceived sexual orientation, rather than on any alleged participation in prohibited consensual acts. In virtually no cases have the police or other eyewitnesses claimed to have seen the alleged homosexual acts. (ANA)
FA/ANA/11 March 2012--------