Eric Lembembe worked to help gay people in Cameroon. But he was recently murdered – his neck broken, his feet smashed and his face burned with an iron.
It’s not an isolated incident. Cameroon's gay people are living in terror as mob attacks, beatings and anti-gay arrests increase. And finally the government is starting to respond to international pressure.
They've just said they will investigate police officers accused of attacking gay people. But they are still refusing to stop the anti-gay mobs and "kill the faggots" protests. Can you help build the pressure on Cameroon's President Biya to go further and help stop the attacks?
If 100,000 of us sign the petition in the next 72 hours, we'll send it directly to the Presidential Palace:
https://www.allout.org/
But it's much harder to mingle in international circles if the country you run is seen as a place where gay people are tortured, killed and imprisoned.
President Biya may hope he has now defused the situation by saying Cameroon will investigate police violence. But we can show him the risk to his reputation and lifestyle hasn't gone away.
Will you urge President Biya to help stop anti-gay attacks, end the law that makes it a crime to be gay, and free all people in jail because of who they love?
Sign here to help get to 100,000 names:
https://www.allout.org/
Remember Roger from Cameroon? He was jailed for texting another man to say "I'm very much in love with you". Last year, more than 130,000 All Out members heard his plea and helped bring a global spotlight to his case, getting President Biya to break his silence and announce that "minds in the country are evolving" about this issue. Now's our chance to get him to act.
All Out members also donated more than 5,000 dollars to help lawyer Alice N'Kom defend two women threatened with prison. Whether it's attacks and arrests in Cameroon, anti-gay laws in Russia or helping people escape anti-gay death squads in Iraq, we're so powerful when we work together.
Stop the attacks and arrests in Cameroon. If we get 100,000 names in 72 hours we'll send it to the Presidential Palace, and Cameroon embassies in London, Washington DC and Paris:
https://www.allout.org/ Thanks for going All Out,
Andre, Guillaume, Leandro, Marie, Hayley, Joe, Kate, Sara and the rest of the All Out team.
PS: "Kill the faggots. They don’t deserve to live." – This was the message on posters and leaflets at a "Day Against Homosexuality" march, held 3 weeks ago in Cameroon. Sign the petition to President Biya now: https://www.allout.org/ SOURCES:
Cameroon's Eric Lembembe: Gay rights activist 'murdered' - BBC, 16 July 2013http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
"Murderer of gay rights activist in Cameroon must be held accountable" - UN rights office, 9 July 2013
http://www.un.org/apps/news/
Vigilante brigade hunts Cameroon gays, says anti-gay activist - 76Crimes, 21 August 2013
http://76crimes.com/2013/08/
Anti-Gay Violence in Cameroon Rises: "We Are Calling on Our Government to Stop Waiting" - Autostraddle, 23 August 2013
http://www.autostraddle.com/
Cameroon Men Sentenced To Prison Under Anti-Gay Laws - Associated Press, 23 July 2013
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
UN Human Rights Council: Adoption of the Outcome of the UPR of Cameroon- Human Rights Watch, 20 Sept 2013
http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/
President Paul Biya spent the month of August staying in Switzerland’s most luxurious hotel - Paul Biya official website, 5 August 2013 (in French)
https://www.prc.cm/fr/
More than 800 million CFA spent in one month, Paul Biya's luxury life in Switzerland- Cameroon Info, March 2012 (in French)
http://www.cameroon-info.net/ | ||||
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Saturday, 12 October 2013
All Out: Worst Country to be gay?
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