Search
  1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Cameroon

Human rights activist stopped from leaving the country

    ABIDJAN

    Cameroonian human rights activist Abdoulaye Math, was on Wednesday stopped from leaving the country for Ireland, Amnesty International told IRIN on Friday. His documents, it added, were confiscated and not returned.

    Math, president of the Movement for the Defence of Freedom and Human Rights (MDDLH- French acronym) was arrested in the capital Yaounde, shortly before leaving for an international human rights in Dublin. According to AI, he was arrested by members of the National Center for External Research, detained for five hours and released on Thursday morning. Although he pleaded for his documents during a meeting with the director of the state security apparatus, they were not given back, AI said.

    Math, who was also arrested in August by the same security office, was in Yaounde awaiting further meetings with the authorities. His organisation is based in Northern Cameroon.

    AI, who on Thursday said the arrest "underlines a consistent pattern of intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders in Cameroon", called on the government of Cameroon to stop restricting the right to movement and free speech, and respect international standard for the protection of rights defenders. AI also urged the government to ensure that security forces respect human rights.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join