LGBTI backer Alice Nkom answers ‘terrorism’ charge that’s based on peace conference
‘What I did was not a rebellion. It was a call for justice.’ — Alice Nkom
Veteran LGBTI rights attorney Alice Nkom remains locked in a legal dispute with Cameroonian authorities who accuse her of “financing terrorism” — a charge she vehemently denies, declaring that her principled stand is in defense of the rule of law in Cameroon.
Nkom, 80 — lovingly called “Mom” by her supporters — repeatedly refused to comply with summonses from regional judicial police. The accusations against her originated with the Observatoire du Développement Societal (Observatory of Social Development or ODS), a non-governmental group, and with the Minister of Territorial Administration.
The ODS accused her of “undermining state security” and “financing terrorism”
To this point, they have not produced evidence to back up their accusations against Nkom and an advocacy group she leads, the LGBTI-friendly Network of Human Rights Defenders in Central Africa (REDHAC), but Paul Atanga Nji, the Minister of Territorial Administration ordered the suspension of REDHAC’s activities and had the door of its offices sealed closed.
Nkom broke those seals and reopened the office.
“I did it because the law must be respected by everyone, including those who hold power. What I did was not a rebellion. It was a call for justice,” she said.
Nkom added: “This is a difficult moment, I know. But it is also revealing. It reveals the path we still have to travel to build a Cameroon where laws protect, rather than oppress. A Cameroon where justice is not used as an instrument of fear, but as a weapon of equity and peace.”
On Jan. 20, in response to a summons, she appeared before the Central Judicial Research Service (SCRJ) of the national gendarmerie in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon.
She addressed accusations against her that are related to her participation at a forum on “peace and transition” that was held five years ago in Munich, Germany. The event was organized by a Cameroonian diaspora organization, her attorneys said.
At the SCRJ, “She answered all the questions and we are waiting for the confrontation phase,” her attorney said.
Last week, Cameroonian lawyers Emmanuel Simh and Kah Walla also denounced the accusations and asked to be summoned along with Nkom because they also took part in the Munich meeting.
Amnesty International declared, “Authorities must stop harassment of human rights defender Alice Nkom and attacks on civil society organizations”.
Nkom explained the situation on Facebook:
My dear children, my dear friends, my dear companions of the renaissance,
Yesterday [Jan. 20], I was summoned by the judicial police, following a complaint filed by the prefect. I am accused of “breaking seals” and “rebellion.” According to them, this last accusation is based on my absence from two summonses. But beyond words and accusations, I want to share the truth with you today. Because this case is not only an attack on me. It is an illustration of what we must fight together: abuse of power and contempt for the law.
Yes, I removed these seals. And I say it bluntly. But this gesture, far from being a rebellion, was an act in favor of justice. These seals, my friends, had no legal basis. They had not been affixed as part of a legal procedure. And why? Because in a state governed by the rule of law, only the courts – and sworn agents – have the power to affix seals. In my specific case, they came to affix seals by virtue of a decree, but in that same decree, the affixing of seals was never provided for.
The role of the prefecture, my dear companions, is limited by law. The prefecture ensures the compliance of associations, nothing more. Even when an association is contested or suspended, only a court decision can justify actions such as the affixing of seals. But in this specific case, there was no court decision, no legitimate procedure. It was nothing other than an abuse of authority.
So, when I cut these seals, I did not do it out of defiance. I did it because the law must be respected by everyone, including those who hold power. What I did was not a rebellion. It was a call for justice.
My dear friends, this is a difficult moment, I know. But it is also revealing. It reveals the path we still have to travel to build a Cameroon where laws protect, rather than oppress. A Cameroon where justice is not used as an instrument of fear, but as a weapon of equity and peace.
And this is why I am speaking to you today. Not to ask for pity. Not to give in to anger. But to call on you to stand up. Because this fight is bigger than me. It belongs to all of us. Every child, every parent, every citizen who believes that one day, Cameroon can be a country where no one is above the law.
So yes, this summons yesterday, these accusations against me, they are a reminder that our work is not done. But they are also a reminder of the strength we have when we stand together. When we say no to injustice. When we insist on respecting the truth.
My friends, this fight will not be easy. But nothing great has ever been accomplished without courage. So, I ask you to stay by my side. Not just for me, but for our future. For the Cameroon we want to leave to our children.
We have work to do. But together, united by our faith in justice and our hope for a better future, I know we can do it.
With all my heart and determination,
Mom ✊🏿❤️ Love You
Alice Nkom
