"Cameroon Enforces Harsh Anti-Homosexuality Laws", HRW

Photo © 2013 Human Rights Watch

Cameroon prosecutes people for consensual same-sex conduct more aggressively than almost any other country.

In most cases, the accused are convicted, often on the basis of little or no evidence. Investigators frequently rely on torture or ill-treatment to extract confessions.

The anti-homosexuality law is also a recipe for extortion and can be used by virtually anyone hoping to settle a score.

“They got Joseph at the bar,” said his friend. “They took him to the army camp. He was stripped naked and tortured. He was molested for four hours. They beat him with an iron belt and burned plastic bags on his chest…. I asked him not to file a complaint, because there are no rights. We gays don’t have any backup.”
21-III-13, HRW