Project Not Alone’s donors set free 4 gay prisoners in Cameroon
Four friends were arrested because they had lubricant on them when police raided their card game.
Four young gay men in southern Cameroon are trying to get their lives on track now that readers’ donations to Project Not Alone have paid their fines and allowed them to put an end to four excruciating months in Ebolowa Prison.
Back in January, the four friends — Ekole, age 22; Anric, 23; Boul, 25; and Asmar, 23 — were unemployed, each of them living at home with his family. With no jobs to go to, they gathered in an abandoned house to play cards.
Police raided the house on Jan. 15, broke up the card game, searched them and found packages of lubricating gel in their clothes. Because of the gel, they were arrested on charges of homosexuality.
They were tried, convicted and sentenced to six months in prison, plus a fine of 176,500 CFA francs each (about U.S. $294) and court costs of 47,200 CFA francs each (about U.S. $79). That sentence would last until mid-July, if they could pay the fines, or until mid-October if they couldn’t. They had no money to pay the fines, which totaled 894,800 CFA francs (about $1,491).
Under Cameroonian law, homosexual activity is punishable by up to five years in prison and fines of up to 200,000 CFA francs (about $333).
On behalf of Project Not Alone, journalist/activist Steeves Winner visited them in prison to learn their circumstances and to deliver supplemental food, since prison food in Cameroon is meager and often filthy.
“Life in prison is hell, especially for people convicted of homosexuality,” the men told Winner. “We are the laughing stock of the prison and are assigned the most absurd tasks, including cleaning toilets and emptying the excrement of other prisoners without any sanitary protection.
“We have no friends in prison. Violence is frequent, coming at us both from other prisoners and from prison officers. The guards offer us no protection when other prisoners attack us.
“We have to provide twice as much effort, twice as much energy, twice as much resilience, twice as much money for the slightest service compared to other prisoners.
“Even in the infirmary, where we are supposed to be safe, we are not given quality care and are sometimes turned away.”
A lawyer who had been appointed for them by the court told the four men and Project Not Alone that he could negotiate with the prosecutor and get the men out immediately if they paid one million CFA francs (about $1,667) instead of waiting until their six month sentence was completed and paying the 894,800 CFA francs (about $1,491).
Project Not Alone decided to pay the negotiators as soon as readers donated enough money.
Ekole, Anric, Boul and Asmar were released on May 31.
Immediately after they left the prison, they met with Winner and told him what prison had been like.
All four said they will live with friends and hope to find a house to rent rather than return to their families, who did not support them during their ordeal.
Ekole and Boul hope to start a clothing sales business if they can raise 200,000 CFA francs (about $333) to purchase their first merchandise.
To support Project Not Alone via PayPal, click HERE To support it via Donorbox, click HERE.
In each case, the donation will be made via the U.S. tax-exempt St. Paul’s Foundation for International Reconciliation, which is the financial sponsor of this news site and Project Not Alone.
