Cintia A. , Lebledparle.com
Renowned Cameroonian human rights lawyer Alice Nkom has once more been summoned by the government, this time to appear in court at Bonanjo on April 7, 2025. She is to be appear in court alongside Maximilienne Ngo Mbe, the director of the Central Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (REDHAC).
Taking to her Facebook page, Nkom criticized the government for its actions, charging them with seeking to suppress her freedoms and go against the law. She called upon the international and national communities to resist intimidation and to mobilise in defense of human rights. “The government cannot continue to trample upon justice and expect us to remain silent. I urge the international community to step in and support the fight against the oppression of civil society organizations,” she wrote. A post that has sparked lots of reaction with many offering their solidarity to the cause.
Background of the case
The Cameroonian Minister of Territorial Administration suspended REDHAC in December 2024 due to allegations of illegal and wasteful foreign donations. Following the suspension, officials sealed off the headquarters of the organization in Douala, preventing staff and disrupting their work. However, Alice Nkom, the board president of REDHAC and human rights activist, broke the seal herself, stating that the government action was unlawful and unjust.
She has since then been summoned by officials several times, often choosing not to attend, terming the invitations as a violation of her rights. Nkom stated severally that the suspension of the organisation was a direct attack on civil society and an attempt at silencing human rights civil societies in Cameroon. The continuous summoning was equally reviewed by Amnesty International who denounced the repeated harassment of Nkom and other activists, urging the Cameroonian government to respect fundamental rights, including freedom of expression and association.
As the case unfolds, human rights defenders, both within and outside Cameroon, are watching closely, but the big question remains whether or not they will attend or if their call for mobilisation will be answered on that day.
