Cameroon: the trial of 66 detainees from the post-election crisis postponed to September 10

The discussions mainly focused on the circumstances of their arrest and their possible participation in protests in the context of the post-election crisis. The election, officially won by Paul Biya, was followed by gatherings and arrests in several cities across the country.

Some defendants expressed their impatience after several months of provisional detention. According to lawyer Ndam, a member of the defense collective, many detainees fear spending nearly a year in prison before possibly being acquitted or released.

“They feel that everything is being done to drag out the proceedings and keep them in prison for no reason,” said the lawyer, as cited by the defense. He believes that the slow pace of the hearings is fueling the discouragement of the defendants and their families.

A procedure struggling to accelerate

The defense had obtained that the cases be divided into several groups to allow for examination by multiple judges. The cases are now listed about three times a month on the military court’s agenda, but this organization has not yet produced the expected acceleration, according to the lawyers.

Lawyer Ndam believes that a more sustained hearing rhythm, with the hearing of about twenty people per day, would have significantly reduced delays. Discussions were also complicated by the language barrier, even though all detainees present in court were eventually heard, a first according to the defense.

The hearing has been postponed to September 10. The public prosecutor will then present its requisitions, followed by the pleas of the defense lawyers. The military court will then have to rule on the criminal responsibility of the defendants, who are being prosecuted in two separate proceedings.