Vibrant
Cameroonian activist Kah Wallah says arrest of journalist is arbitrary and
repressive.
Read full communique
The
Arrest of Mimi Mefo: Yet another symbol of arbitrary decisions and repression
in Cameroon
Mimi
Mefo, a journalist working for the Equinoxe media group, was jailed in Douala
Central Prison on Wednesday, November 07, 2018.
According
to the first information available to us, she has been charged on three counts:
1.
Propagation of false news.
2.
Cybercrime.
3.
Attack on state security.
The
charge of undermining the State's security would be the reason why her case has
now been taken over by a procedure under military jurisdiction.
Faced
with this umpteenth attack on freedom of the press and this crude intimidation,
Stand Up For Cameroon demands the immediate release of Mimi Mefo.
And
for good reason. Mimi Mefo is accused of relaying in the conditional, like many
other Cameroonians, a series of news stories produced by a news agency,
approved by the authorities of Cameroon.
As
much as she progressively reported information, regularly updated by different
sources, she did not fail to relay information from official government sources
on the same subject. She has obviously done her job as a journalist on a
serious situation, in a serious manner and in an equally serious context. A
situation in which the silence of the journalists is absolutely not an option.
If,
in addition, we take into account the fact that she is not the only one to have
disseminated this information, it becomes difficult to understand the summons,
the indictment and the incarceration which Mimi Mefo is subject to today.
For
these reasons, Stand Up For Cameroon is keen to condemn with the utmost energy
this repressive government campaign which has intensified in recent weeks
towards Cameroonian citizens of all horizons.
Stand
Up For Cameroon also denounces the intimidation and incarceration in violation
of the fundamental rights and freedoms of several other journalists and
activists.
Particularly
violent repression in the North West and South West regions
Since
the start of the Anglophone crisis in particular, there have been dozens of
journalists harassed and hundreds of citizens unjustly detained.
At
the moment, as we speak, many citizens of the North West and South West regions
are subject to similar or even more serious violations.
This
makes the arrest of Mimi Mefo, Anglophone journalist, particularly engaged in
providing regular information on the various developments in the North West and
South West regions, a very sensitive case.
Old
abuses and violations that are spreading
These
abuses and violations of fundamental rights and freedoms have also been
observed in the fight against Boko Haram with the crimes that have been brought
to light.
The
Cameroonian Government is clearly on a campaign of intimidation. They want to
instill fear and self-censorship in the Cameroonian society. It will succeed if
we keep quiet and let go.
It's
time to show our commitment to our freedoms! This is the moment to say that we
are not afraid and that they will not succeed in suppressing our freedom to
speak! This is the moment to show our solidarity with our brothers and sisters
today deprived of their rights and fundamental freedoms!
Stand
Up For Cameroon congratulates those who are already resisting this oppressive
surge. We call on other Cameroonians to stand with Mimi Mefo and other citizens
incarcerated to demand their release and respect for their rights.
Together,
united and united, we will win!
For
the Stand Up For Cameroon movement
Kah
Walla & Chumchoua Penda
Edev News: Email: edevnewspaper@gmail.com/ Tel; +237696896001/ +237678401408
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