Cameroon: 5 men nearing end of prison sentence for homosexuality
Cameroon human rights groups provided legal aid and food for unjustly prisoned men
Five queer men in Cameroon are counting the days until their scheduled release from prison on Feb. 6 after serving a four-month sentence for homosexual activity.
For their security, their names are withheld in this article.
They were arrested on the night of Oct. 1, 2025 in the Essos neighborhood of the capital Yaoundé. Police reportedly worked with a motorcycle taxi driver who directed the men to where the officers were waiting to arrest them.
The five men — four from Cameroon and one Congolese national — were brought before the prosecutor and then transferred to Yaoundé Central Prison.
Human rights activists protested that police entrapment targeting sexual minorities was in violation of their human rights and of required police procedures. However, the court dismissed those complaints and sentenced the men to four months in prison plus fines and court costs.
Multiple community organizations worked on behalf of the prisoners, including paying their fines and supplying them with food.
Two Cameroonian LGBTI rights organizations — Humanity First Cameroon Plus and the legal clinic of SOS Solidarity Rights and Health, — worked with the French LGBTI rights group Stop Homophobie to provide them with legal defense. The teams documented the facts of the case, raised concerns about the legality of the proceedings, and advocated for the men’s fundamental rights.
The prisoners received emergency food and clothing on Dec. 2 from LGBTI rights activist/journalist Jean Jacques Dissoke and a representative of the organization Positive Vision, a Cameroonian association fighting violence against transgender people.
The food was purchased with funds provided by Positive Vision and SOS Solidarity Rights and Health. The delivery included tapioca, sugar, rice and pasta.
Human rights activists following these cases noted that all five prisoners are heads of families, and their incarceration has further destabilized already precarious households. One of them, a Congolese substitute teacher, has seen his career interrupted, jeopardizing his professional future.
The activists also noted that homophobic remarks by police and violations of privacy during the arrests underscore the persistence of discrimination in Cameroon.
