Bribed by dad, Cameroon police drop charges

Colin Stewart is a 45-year journalism veteran living in Southern…

Logo of CAMEF

Police in Limbe, Cameroon, have released a young LGBT person who was beaten and arrested Feb. 1 on homosexuality charges by a horny police officer who was shocked to discover that this intended sex partner was transgender instead of biologically female.

The officer severely beat Nicholas, commonly known as Nicoline, before making the arrest, LGBT rights activists said.

After Nicoline’s parents traveled to Limbe, his father bribed the police to drop charges, activists said. The parents and Nicoline then left town.

Location of Douala in Cameroon (Map courtesy of Penpals-du-Monde.blogspot.com) — Map of Cameroon (Courtesy of Penpals-du-Monde.blogspot.com)

Before the bribe, Nicoline had been detained awaiting transfer to Buea Central Prison and was expected to have to stay there until a trial on homosexuality charges got under way.

Under Cameroonian law, homosexual acts are punishable by up to five years in prison. The law is often used inappropriately against alleged homosexuals without evidence that they actually performed illegal sexual acts.

Nicoline sought and received help from the Cameroon Association for Empowerment Outreach Programs (CAMEF), an organization that fights for human rights and against AIDS among LGBT people and sex workers in Limbe.