Editorial: Gov’t should reinforce measures to stamp out torture.

Last week, the UN Committee Against Torture, CAT, gave Cameroon a crown of ignominy. After reviewing the situation in Cameroon last Saturday, the Committee, in its report, noted that it was "alarmed by the numerous alleged acts of torture and ill-treatment, summary executions, murders and mass graves, forced displacements, enforced disappearances, abductions, arbitrary and prolonged detention without charge or judicial process, incommunicado detention in unofficial places, and sexual and gender-based violence, committed by defence and security forces, the Rapid Intervention Battalion, the police and gendarmerie forces in the context of counter-insurgency operations and by non-State armed groups in the Far North, North West and South West Regions".

The Committee urged the Cameroon government to ensure that such allegations are investigated promptly, thoroughly, and impartially by an independent authority, those responsible are identified, prosecuted, and punished, and victims have access to effective remedies and full reparation.

It was concerned about reports of "intimidation, threats, harassment, excessive use of force, arbitrary arrests and detentions, prosecutions, including by military courts, torture and ill-treatment, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial executions of human rights defenders, civil society members, journalists, political opponents, and peaceful demonstrators". 

The Committee requested that Cameroon “takes necessary steps to guarantee that these individuals are adequately protected from human rights violations that may occur due to their activities, all such violations are thoroughly and impartially investigated, those responsible are tried and convicted, and that victims or their families receive compensation".

Cameroonian authorities have, however, consistently repudiated the allegations. 

But there have, nevertheless, been confirmed cases where alleged perpetrators have been taken to court, like in the case of the late journalist, Matinez Zogo. He was kidnapped, tortured, killed and his body dumped in a neighbourhood in the nation’s capital.

The Committee Against Torture “monitors countries' adherence to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment", which, to date, has 174 States parties. 

For Cameroon to be among the first 10 violators should be of deep concern to Yaounde. There is no doubt that government apologists may question the credibility of the report, as they did when Transparency International, TI, first rated Cameroon as the most corrupt country in the world.

The CAT members are 10 independent human rights experts, drawn from around the world, who serve in their personal capacity and not as representatives of any country.

The Committee’s concluding observations are an independent assessment of States’ compliance with human rights obligations under the treaty.

CAT is not the only organisation that has raised an arm about Cameroon’s human rights record smeared with the mire of impunity in some cases as viewed in the recent viral video where musician, Longue Longue, was seen being tortured mercilessly.

International Human Rights groups like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Committee to Protect Journalists and national groups, have often denounced violations of rights and torture, described by some as "systematic".

Even the President of Cameroon’s Supreme Court, has condemned what he termed "popular justice" and situations where some unscrupulous members of the judiciary and those in uniforms have become debt collectors, some linking it with criminal offences, just to justify their actions.

It should be noted that atrocities committed by separatist fighters also add up to sully the country's human rights record, since it is the responsibility of every government to ensure the protection of citizens and their properties.

The implications for such reports are that they scare foreign investors in a global environment, where there is competition, especially in developing countries.

Such impunity does not also ensure security, as there can't be peace and unity without justice.

Now that the bitter truth has been told, denial and condemnation won’t solve the problem. The CAT report, as critical it is, should be a wake-up alarm for Yaounde to sit up and abide by the groundbreaking unanimous UN resolutions of last April, which underscored the urgent need for effective national measures to prevent acts of torture and reaffirmed the absolute prohibition of torture under any circumstances.

Key provisions of the resolutions include: recognition of the critical role played by police and law enforcement officials, medical personnel, public officials, and civil society in upholding human dignity and ensuring respect for the rights of all those deprived of their liberty. 

Crucially, the resolution also emphasises the importance of establishing effective domestic oversight mechanisms to prevent torture and other forms of ill-treatment, including regular visits to places of deprivation of liberty.     

Other key recommendations include legal framework and accountability, holistic approach to torture prevention, training and education, review of interrogation, detention procedures, legal and procedural safeguards.

Meanwhile, other actions the government should take are: Discrimination against persons deprived of liberty, giving special consideration to the perspectives, needs of victims and survivors in various aspects, including policy development, rehabilitation efforts, prevention strategies, and accountability measures concerning torture and other related human rights violations, including sexual and gender-based violence.

The government also has the responsibility to ensure dignified conditions of detention, including addressing concerns such as solitary confinement and overcrowding.

The resolutions also called on governments "to establish independent monitoring bodies to regularly inspect places of deprivation of liberty and ensure compliance with human rights standards”. 

Most importantly, States are urged "to ensure protection against any sanction, reprisal, intimidation or other prejudice against individuals cooperating with monitoring bodies or other stakeholders working to prevent torture”. 

The UN resolutions underscored the collective responsibility of governments to uphold human rights and emphasises the importance of prevention in combating torture.

The disgraceful ranking of Cameroon should, however, be taken as a wake-up alarm to eradicate the egregious violation of human dignity so as to ensure the rule of law, which is the foundation of peace, development and security.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3304 of Thursday November 28, 2024