Homophobes of the Week: Cameroon’s baton-swinging police
Gendarmes in Cameroon won the dishonor of being selected as Homophobes of the Week by launching a gay-hunting expedition that raided a bar and a movie house, arresting 25 people, beating them with batons, and jailing them for nearly two days without charges.
Their leader, Police Commandant Parfait Nana, claimed hypocritically that he is not prejudiced about LGBT people:
“Personally, I do not judge anyone and do not condemn anyone on the basis of their sexual orientation. However, Cameroon has laws to enforce.“
The law prohibits same-sex intercourse, but Nana and many others act as if it prohibits same-sex attraction. He led a raid that targeted a gay cinema and a gay-friendly cabaret where no one was breaking the law; the people there were just being themselves.
For more information:
- An appeal for the men’s release is here: Campaign: Free the Yaoundé 23.
- The story about their release is here: Cameroon: The Yaoundé 23 have been set free
RUNNERS UP
Yaoundé police beat out the following nominees for Homophobe of the Week — each of whom deserves international disdain:
- Police in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, who have held a 26-year-old man in jail for nine months without trial because he refused to pay a $415 bribe.
- A Chechen mullah who conducted an exorcism in an attempt to turn a lesbian straight.
- The Kenya Film Classification Board, which banned the Kenyan film “Rafiki” about two women in love, although it earned a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.
Mr. Police Commandant Parfait Nana is an hypocrite, for sure! When he claims to be doing nothing then to enforcing the Cameronian law, does he also enforce the law on anti-corruption of Cameroon as eager as he enforces the law on homosexual activities? No he does not! Because when he would enforce that law, he would be forced to arrest the authorities of Cameroon, all and none excluded!
When this hypocrite states that he simply enforces the law of the land, why then not enforce the law on for instance blackmailing of people? Or abusing people? Or imprisoning people without charge? Or, even more relevant, why does he not enforce the law that states that raiding locations on assumptions without proof is a crime? he ordered a raid on a location were there were only assumptions of homosexual activities, there was no proof, as when there would have been proof the people taken from the location that was raided would have been charged, and not kept in prison (or police stations) without any charge! This individual calling himself Police Commandant broke the law! And when he would be enforcing the law he would turn himself in and he would order his police offciers to lock him up! Then he would be a man with honor! Now he’s nothing but a dishonorable creature, unfit to be wearing an uniform, not even that of a retard! (I must say that the police officer depicted is a real cuty! (smile))
THIS IS ALL WHAT YOU STUPID NEWS ORGANISATIONS CAN REPORT AND MAKE A BIG DEAL ABOUT IGNORING AND SOMETIMES MISREPORTING ABOUT THE MASSIVE KILLING AND EXCESSIVE MALTREATMENT GOING ON IN SOUTHERN CAMEROON ENGLISH SPEAKING SECTION.