Context
A young man goes to the gendarmerie to answer a summons. The mother of his girlfriend had filed a complaint against him for molesting a minor.
She believed that the young man, who had already been living with her daughter for several years and sending her to school, had seduced her while she was still a minor. Despite the explanations provided by the young man and his girlfriend, he was thrown in a cell by the Brigade Commander to please the mother. His fault was that he had no contacts to get him out of there. After a week in police custody, he was referred to the public prosecutor.
A man provokes a fight in the street, then after suffering a shameful defeat at the hands of his adversaries, he decides to arrest them on the pretext that he is a deputy public prosecutor. No complaint, no procedure respected. He says: ‘I’ll show you who I am’. Cases like this are common in the country – we could name hundreds. They virtually all go unnoticed for one reason: they don’t make the headlines.
Arbitrary detention, where a person is imprisoned without due process of law, is widespread in our democracies, even though it is considered a violation of human rights. No charge, no trial, one wonders if the victims even know their rights. But, in fact, it is not a question of knowing your rights or not, because it has never mattered when the legal and/or political machine (if they can be dissociated) decides to descend upon you, it is the machine that exercises its most absolute right.
Characteristics
Arbitrary detention is prohibited by various international legal instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which have been ratified by Cameroon. But if we analyse the situation, we quickly realise that many cases of detention do not respect the legal basis on which they should be based. How many people have been told their rights by police officers during an arrest? How many have been given access to their arrest warrant or summons? How many have found themselves detained without trial, sometimes for an equally strange reason? How many have experienced excessive and deliberate delays in their legal proceedings? How many people have been unjustly convicted because they found themselves up against more powerful individuals? Each situation is different, but they all have one thing in common: procedural irregularities. International human rights standards, laws, the right not to be subjected to torture or cruel treatment, and the right to a fair trial are violated with impunity.
Arbitrary detention does not only concern political prisoners, even though authoritarian governments have used this method to repress political opposition, journalists, ambassadors of freedom of expression and other human rights activists. In the name of petty crime, security, the fight against terrorism or any other reason, individuals are arbitrarily detained without tangible proof. Despite the interventions of the United Nations Committee against Arbitrary Detention, which investigates cases of arbitrary detention around the world and issues opinions on the legality of detention, and non-governmental organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which work to denounce and combat arbitrary detention.
Consequences
Cameroon has often been criticised by the international community for its practice of arbitrary detention. The United Nations and various NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have vehemently denounced these practices. There have been calls for the release of political prisoners and for reforms to the judicial system to ensure fair trials. However, it is undeniable that the judiciary and political power are so interdependent that one uses the other to punish to the detriment of the individual (the victim) who should be the focus of attention. What happens to the victim? Do we think about his reintegration into society? How do you deal with the aftermath when you’ve been found guilty without a trial or during a fabricated trial?
The writing of this article was inspired by the release of the documentary “Du complot camerounais à l’abandon” (From Cameroonian conspiracy to abandonment), retracing the story of Thierry Atangana, who spent 17 years in prison and came out with severe psychological and physical after-effects. When you consider that just a few weeks in prison can cause severe psychological and physical trauma, you wonder how a human being who has spent so many years can approach life. Seeing one’s conviction of innocence shaken by the system. Arbitrary detention has serious consequences for people at every level. Moreover, it leads to a general mistrust of politicians and the judicial system, and is an obstacle to human rights and democracy, a key factor in a country’s development. It destroys public confidence in the justice system and weakens the rule of law.
Internet and social networks
At the start of 2024, Cameroon had around 5 million social media users aged 18 and over, representing 33.4% of the adult population. In terms of gender breakdown, 41.4% of social media users were female and 58.6% male. We Are Social and Hootsuite publish detailed annual reports on Internet and social network usage in various countries, including Cameroon. DataReportal provides reports and statistics on digital usage around the world, and Statista offers statistics and market research, including information specific to the use of social networks in Africa. According to these entities, in January 2023, around 34% of the Cameroonian population had access to the Internet, and social networks were used by around 22% of the population.
Facebook was the most widely used social network, with the majority of users connected, closely followed by WhatsApp, also very popular for instant messaging, while Instagram and Twitter are used, but to a lesser extent compared with Facebook and WhatsApp. Social network users are predominantly young people aged 18 to 34, with a slight male predominance in the use of social networks and a high concentration in urban areas. These figures are estimates based on data available up to early 2023 and may vary. The data mentioned come from various sources that compile and analyze Internet and social network usage worldwide. More precise and up-to-date information can be found HERE
Social networks: a beacon of hope?
Since Cameroon’s independence in 1960, the country has experienced several episodes of arbitrary detention, the most famous of which are linked to political tensions and repression against opponents and human rights activists.After the establishment of the authoritarian regime of Cameroon’s first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo, repression against members of the main opposition party, the Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC), led to numerous arbitrary arrests and summary executions.At the start of the Biya era in 1982, Cameroon continued to face accusations of arbitrary detention.Political activists and journalists were arrested without fair trial, often on charges of threats to national security despite the advent of multiparty politics and a semblance of democracy.
In recent years, social networks have had a real impact in the fight against these human rights violations, providing a platform for visibility and amplifying the voices of victims, their families, activists and the international community. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, Tiktok and WhatsApp have become essential tools for raising national and international awareness of cases of arbitrary detention. Activists and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) use these platforms to disseminate information on illegal arrests, often accompanied by video or photographic evidence.This content is quickly shared, attracting the attention of the media and international organizations.Visibility has increased thanks to the creation of hashtags, awareness campaigns, a limited number of shares and a strong mobilization of communities on social networks.
In some blatant cases, this has led to high-level interventions by international organizations, diplomatic corps, influencers, decision-makers and others. Cases of arbitrary detention that might otherwise have gone unnoticed have received worldwide attention, influencing political decisions. Social networks have undeniably changed the dynamics of the fight against arbitrary detention in Cameroon, providing a platform for denouncing abuses, mobilizing the international community and raising public awareness. However, while this is succeeding in attracting attention, it is only part of the solution. And while public pressure plays a catalytic role in this process, to put an end to arbitrary detention, it is essential to combine online activism with concrete action on the ground and continuous lobbying of politicians to ensure that they respect the fundamental rights of their citizens. The judiciary must be absolutely independent, and not carry out actions under the control of the executive.
Joe Ambadang
Photo : irmeyasom/Iwaria
