Will you help Bob, whose gay love affair ended with betrayal and prison?
With readers’ help, Project Not Alone aims to free 12 imprisoned, innocent queer Africans
By Steeves Winner
Early this year, Bob and Abo (both pseudonyms) were in a gay romantic relationship that ended in catastrophe. The romance ended with Bob in a prison cell shortly after Abo’s parents learned how their son was spending his time.
Confronted with sexually charged text messages between the two men, Abo claimed that he had been an unwilling victim — not a willing lover — and that Bob had sexually harassed him. The police, the courts and Abo’s politically connected parents believed him.
Bob was arrested on charges of attempted homosexuality. On Feb. 16, he was imprisoned without trial. He remains in Bertoua Prison to this day.
This site’s Project Not Alone is seeking donations to set Bob free.
Abo, a student, faced no charges so he remains at liberty. Members of his family hold influential positions within the Cameroonian army.
Before his arrest, Bob, 25, worked as a cook in a small restaurant in the city of Bertoua in eastern Cameroon. He lived alone in a rented room, away from his family and acquaintances in order to maintain his safety and the privacy of his romantic life.
When Abo’s parents intercepted romantic messages between the men, they filed a complaint of sexual harassment against Bob.
After Bob was arrested, Abo was summoned to a court hearing. “He claimed to be sexually harassed by me, even though we were in a free and consensual relationship,” Bob said.
Since his arrest, Bob has received no legal assistance. He receives no visits and no support from his family or friends. Homophobic prisoners threaten him and abuse him.
He suffers from vision problems because his glasses were damaged in an attack by homophobic prisoners.
Project Not Alone is raising money to pay for new glasses for him and to cover the expenses of a lawyer who will work for Bob pro bono.
Bob is one of 12 LGBTQ prisoners in Cameroon and Nigeria whom Project Not Alone 2025 aims to set free by paying their fines and, when needed, finding lawyers to represent them. None of them has been charged with anything other than homosexuality.
Bob’s release is especially important because 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.
To help, make a U.S. tax-deductible donation to Project Not Alone 2025 via:
- PayPal
- GoFundMe
- SpotFund
- Alternatively, you could send a check to:
St. Paul’s Foundation
1577 Paseo del Lago East – Unit 1B
Laguna Woods, CA, 92637
USA
Please write “Project Not Alone” on the memo line and send an email to info@76crimes.com to let us know it’s coming.
So far, readers have donated $2,180 of the fundraising target of $12,861. We have already used $1,059 of that money to set free Fleur and Wanda, a lesbian couple, who had been held in Bertoua Prison for almost eight months.
Steeves Winner, the author of this article, is a Cameroonian journalist who writes under a pseudonym. Contact him at steeves.w@yahoo.com.
