Cameroon lesbian couple forced to remain in prison by unjust fines
Project Not Alone aims to free imprisoned queer Cameroonians by raising money for their fines
By Steeves Winner
Fleur and Wanda (both pseudonyms) are a Cameroonian lesbian couple who have been imprisoned for homosexuality in the notorious Bertoua Prison in eastern Cameroon.
This site’s Project Not Alone is seeking donations to set them free.
The two women, who had been in a relationship for some time before their arrest, were deeply in love. Upon their conviction, they were sentenced to six months in prison, but they are now forced to pay their fines to regain their freedom.
Short, dark-skinned and of medium-round build, 32-year-old Fleur has dark eyes and a sad expression ready to explode with emotion. The 32-year-old trained as a nurse and worked in a health center where she earned a good living. She is the mother of a 9-year-old child whom she raises alone and has currently had to entrust him to her sister.
Wanda, 33, is slightly fair-skinned, with dark eyes and a slow gait due to a slight disability in her right foot. She has lost weight due to her traumatic situation. She trained as a professional hairdresser and worked in a hairdressing business before her arrest.
The two women had been deeply in love for four years, although they lived separately, each in their own homes. They often attended family events together, attracting scrutiny and suspicion, even though they presented themselves as friends.
One day, without identifying the source of the information, Fleur’s parents learned that Wanda, whom they knew as their daughter’s friend, was actually her partner.
Summoned by her parents about this, Fleur became angry, reminding them that she was an adult and could live her life as she chose. Shocked, their mother reported them to the police, who promptly arrested them in September 2024 for homosexuality after analyzing the contents of their phone messages.
In Cameroon, being gay or lesbian is not a crime, however, same-sex acts are criminalized with a penalty of up to 5 years in prison under the penal code, while a separate law on cybersecurity penalizes online same-sex sexual propositions. The laws are actively enforced and used to harass LGBTQI Cameroonians, with dozens arrested and sent to jail in recent years. The laws have even been used to harass organizations that provide services for people living with HIV and AIDS, including the recent sentencing of one AIDS worker to five years in prison.
After appearing before the judge, the two women were sentenced to six months in Cameroon’s notorious Bertoua Prison and a fine of 296,000 CFA francs each (approximately $500 USD), for a total of 592,000 CFA francs (approximately $1000 USD). These fines represent close to a month’s average wages in Cameroon, and have proven to be impossible for the women to pay. Though initially due to be released on March 30, 2025, they remain in prison due to non-payment of the fines.
The Bertoua Prison has drawn condemnation from human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for its severe overcrowding and mistreatment of LGBTQI prisoners.
Together, let’s help these young women regain their freedom and resume their daily activities.
Fleur and Wanda are two of 12 LGBTQ prisoners in Cameroon and Nigeria whom Project Not Alone 2025 aims to set free by paying their fines. To help them, make a U.S. tax-deductible donation to Project Not Alone 2025 via:
