Fru Ndi and militant detainees express satisfaction over adjournment of much awaited case

By Franckline Benjika W
The case brought against Ni John Fru Ndi, chairman of Cameroon's frontline opposition party, the Social Democratic Front, and some of his party militants by the Diboule family, was on August 19, adjourned to October 13, amidst satisfaction from SDF scribes and detainees who appeared in court with party T-shirts.

The plaintiff, the Diboule family, has accused the SDF and its chairman of killing Gregoire Diboule, on May 26, 2006 during skirmishes over the holding of a controversial convention in Yaounde at the time a National SDF Convention was holding in Bamenda. Twenty three (23) pro-Fru Ndi militants were arrested after Gregoire Diboule was killed, and have since been held at the Kondengui maximum security prison in Yaounde. One of them has died in detention.

The case was moved forward to allow the accused to look for an interpreter and an expert or technician in sign language for the dumb, given that most of those being held are English speaking, while one of them is deaf and dumb.To ensure a fair trial and considering that in legal matters questions must be precise for easy understanding, it was established before the Mfoundi Court rose on August 19 that the SDF must get a judicial translator for the English speaking detainees and an expert in sign language for the deaf and dumb detainee.

The chairman and the detainees both expressed satisfaction over the court's decision. The new date, observers believe, will permit the court president to constitute a new jury given that recent transfers within the judiciary brought in significant changes within the corps.

Speaking to journalists at a press briefing in his Yaounde residence shortly afterwards, Ni John Fru Ndi said the presiding magistrate had assured him that when the SDF finds a translator and an expert in sign language it will take at most four days to close the case, due to begin on October 13.

Asked if he was afraid of the outcome of the case, the outspoken politician retorted  that if the events of the early 90s, which saw him being pursued by the military, did not frighten or stop him from creating his party, then it is not the killing of a former militant, that would. He continues to refute claims that he ordered the killing of Mr Diboule. He, however, made it clear that justice should take its course.

Some SDF militant have sworn to render Cameroon ungovernable, should the chairman be found guilty and arrested. Ni John Fru Ndi wondered if the hands of the people trying to nail him are clean. If elected during the SDF preliminaries, Fru will vie for the presidency in 2011. The "Fru-Ndists" therefore considered the charges against their leader as a plot to prevent him from running for the presidency in 2011.

The case brought against the SDF and Fru Ndi has been pending for more than one year and this, defence lawyers argue, violates section 221 of the New Criminal Procedure Code. This is just one of many violations that have reduced the much acclaimed New Criminal Procedure Code to a sham.  Pundits wonder if the SDF can make political gains out of the case.

Comments

[Mark Thomas Anyandjuh]

Its with a heavy heart that I read from abroad about what the National Chairman of the SDF is going through.I know nothing hides under the sun. If Ni John Fru Ndi was attending the convention in Bamenda on that ugly 26 th and sent some assasins to kill Diboule , let the murderers come to court and say it before the chairman.The Diboules should not just drag the reputation of the chairman in mud and go free.There should be unequivocal evidence in court to prove the chairman guilty for I can see the writings very clear on the wall.Mr Biya is at work to ruin the party.
Cameroon is a country that is suffering from moral drought thanks to the president Mr Biya and co-adjutors who have rendered the country dry. Cameroonians now go to extremes to survive.I read with shame the words of Mr Ngafesson Emmanuel saying a special prison for embezzlers will soon be created.Please tell Mr Biya to create a special bank to recover and save all stolen money from cameroon saved in foreign banks.Why is Mendo Ze still free ? That is one of the greatest embezzlers in Cameroon. I remember my days at CRTV South and POALA FM Bafoussam.The ladies who work for the Commercial service of the radio stations both FM and Provincial of the CRTV used to own money made from adverts thanks to having sex with the General manager.
Let the courts in cameroon be just beginning from the supreme court that is responsible for mr biya's continuous stay in power .Dipanda Mouele is a prisoner for proclaiming false results and remaining in the driving seat of the supreme court.
Every thing that has a beginning has an end and the end is imminent.
Mark Thomas Anyandjuh
Buenos Aires Herald
Argentina

[dave kumboga]

70 percent of inmates suffer illegal detention

The chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms, Dr. Divine Chemuta Banda, has said that above 70 percent of inmates in Cameroon’s 34 prisons are being detained illegally.
Addressing journalists at the last World Press freedom Day, at downtown Limbe, said rather than decrease the abusive detention since 2003 has not change in spite of general out cry by the civilized world.
Meanwhile, it was gathered that the major violations registered by the commission have to do with abusive dismissals from work, refusal to register workers with an insurance scheme squabbles over landed property, break in family ties etc. according to the commission’s 2007 report, over 2000 complaints of human rights above were recorded.
Some of the human rights violations recorded at the National Commissions on Human Rights and Freedoms, NCHRF, headquarters and its branch officer in Bamenda and Buea included: 77 cases on right to accommodation, 85 on right to physical and moral integrity, 76 for basic detainee rights, 66 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, and 132 cases on right to property. Corruption and influence peddling had a record of 17 cases.
An official of NCHRF commented that many NCHRF commented that many Cameroonians whose rights, are being trampled upon are suffering silently because of their ignorance of the various instruments that give them the be way to pursue perpetrators.
70 percent of inmates suffer illegal detention

The chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms, Dr. Divine Chemuta Banda, has said that above 70 percent of inmates in Cameroon’s 34 prisons are being detained illegally.
Addressing journalists at the last World Press freedom Day, at downtown Limbe, said rather than decrease the abusive detention since 2003 has not change in spite of general out cry by the civilized world.
Meanwhile, it was gathered that the major violations registered by the commission have to do with abusive dismissals from work, refusal to register workers with an insurance scheme squabbles over landed property, break in family ties etc. according to the commission’s 2007 report, over 2000 complaints of human rights above were recorded.
Some of the human rights violations recorded at the National Commissions on Human Rights and Freedoms, NCHRF, headquarters and its branch officer in Bamenda and Buea included: 77 cases on right to accommodation, 85 on right to physical and moral integrity, 76 for basic detainee rights, 66 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, and 132 cases on right to property. Corruption and influence peddling had a record of 17 cases.
An official of NCHRF commented that many NCHRF commented that many Cameroonians whose rights, are being trampled upon are suffering silently because of their ignorance of the various instruments that give them the be way to pursue perpetrators.

my dave kumboga
Human Rights resource person.

[Mongo ALBERT]

C’est avec allegresse que le monde entier Célèbre tous les 10-decembre la journée internationale des droits humains. D’ailleurs c’est un grand plaisir de savoir que le conseil des droits de l’hommes examine la situation des 192 Etats membre de L’ONU. Mais il faut avouer que le chemin est encore long a’parcourir quand il s’agit du respect des droits de l’hommes dans plusieurs pays du Monde et sortout en AFRIQUE.
Le cas de ce jeune Camerounais nomme Tchonang Sebastien Dachi Merime qui, ne pouvant pas resiste aux tortures et aux menaices dont il etait victime regulierement car etant un membre d’un parti de l’opposition ; A quitter son pays d’origine pour une destination incertaine afin d’avoir.
Sa vie sauve. L’ONU a toujours travaille d’arrache –pied pour que tous les hommes beneficient du respect des droits de l’homme c’est l’occasion pour nous d’interpeler tous les organismes de droits de l’homme les O.N.G. de droits de l’homme d’intervenir sur le cas de cejeune Camerounais a fin que justice soit faite.

Par Mongo ALBERT (secretaire de section S.D.F Bango.).