Brussels: The European Parliament has condemned the prosecution of journalists in Cameroon, specifically highlighting the cases of Amadou Vamoulk©, Kingsley Fomunyuy Njoka, Mancho Bibixy, Thomas Awah Junior, and Tsi Conrad.
According to Cameroon News Agency, a press release dated April 4 called for the “immediate and unconditional” release of these journalists, citing systematic violations of their human rights by Cameroonian authorities. The European Parliament also urged the Cameroonian government to ensure press freedom, especially in light of the upcoming presidential election.
The European lawmakers have called upon the European Union (EU) and its member states to engage with Cameroon’s authorities regarding these cases. They have suggested exerting diplomatic and economic pressure to improve human rights conditions in the country. Additionally, the lawmakers expressed their support for a UN fact-finding mission and demanded the provision of humanitarian visas for journalists facing persecution.
The human rights resolution, passed by a show of hands, underscored the necessity to guarantee the rights and access to medical care for the detained journalists. It also insisted on ending military trials for civilians and called for a cessation of the misuse of terrorism and “fake news” charges against journalists.
The detention of journalists in Cameroon has attracted widespread condemnation from international bodies, including Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists. These organizations have called for the journalists’ release and expressed concern regarding the state of press freedom in Cameroon.
Amadou Vamoulk©, the former director-general of the state broadcaster CRTV, was sentenced to 20 years in prison last August 28 after being convicted of “embezzlement of public funds” by the Special Criminal Court in Yaound©. This followed a prior 12-year sentence in 2022 on similar charges.
Other journalists have also faced severe punishments amid the ongoing Anglophone crisis. Freelance journalist Kingsley Fomunyuy Njoka, from the Northwest region, was sentenced by a military tribunal to 10 years in jail on September 24, 2024, more than four years after his arrest and two years of awaiting trial.
Thomas Awah Junior, another journalist from Cameroon’s English-speaking Northwest Region, was sentenced in 2018 to 11 years in prison on charges that included secession, insurrection, and spreading false information.
Tsi Conrad, a journalist from the Northwest region, was arrested in December 2016 while covering a demonstration during which security forces allegedly shot at the demonstrators. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for various charges, including acts of terrorism and insurrection.
Mancho Bibixy is currently serving a 15-year sentence in Yaound© Central Prison, accused of leading an insurrectionist plan to destabilize governmental institutions.
Over the years, journalists in Cameroon have faced threats that undermine their right to freedom of expression. The Committee to Protect Journalists reported earlier this year that it has documented several physical attacks and acts of intimidation against journalists in Cameroon, coinciding with the country’s upcoming elections.