Cameroon: No charges, 8+ days in jail, anal exams
Law enforcement officials in west Cameroon plan to order anal exams for five men who have been incarcerated at the local police station since April 20 on suspicion of homosexuality.
François Waffo Lele, founder and president of the LGBTI rights association Avenir Jeune de l’Ouest, stated today about his five colleagues who are jailed in Dschang:
“It is apparent at the courthouse in Dschang that the detainees will be subjected to an anal examination this afternoon. We therefore urgently call on of our all partners and allies to see to it that these forced examinations do not take place. Thank you ”
Mandatory anal exams are notorious for being both abusive and worthless in determining a person’s sexual behavior.
The UN Special Rapporteur on torture has said that forced anal examinations amount to torture or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. The Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and other UN agencies have also condemned the exams. The forensic experts’ statement asserts that, “Forcibly conducting anal examinations on individuals is humiliating, demeaning, and, not surprisingly, almost invariably causes significant psychological suffering.”
Related articles:
- Cameroon: 5 gay-rights arrests; 7 days in jail and counting (April 2018, 76crimes.com)
- U.N. panel to Tunisia: Stop forced anal exams (May 2016, 76crimes.com)
It is an extreme violation of one’s personal dignity to be man handled by authorities in examining one’s anal cavity for a crime that has been made sexual within one’s right of personal privacy.