On Thursday 10th November 2016, Cameroonians and the international community saw what they could not believe. More than a dozen Cameroon Common Law lawyers were molested, maimed, beaten with many sustaining injuries and some with blood oozing out of their bodies.
“We were moving peacefully around Bocom in Mile 17 in Buea when policemen swooped on us, torturing us severely. Numbers of other colleagues sustained injuries on their head and legs like myself. A female lawyer is among those who have been injured. We must ensure that our demands are met,” Barrister Melle Didien fumed
Anglophone Cameroon in most of its major cities has witnessed police and army militarization. In fact, it was another colonisation of a people.
lawyers traveled from different parts of the region to converge on Buea were brutally halted, pulled out of their cars and beaten.
Some of the military forces invaded Barrister Lifanje Cosmos’ office around Obama Restaurant in Buea and got lawyers who were in well beaten. Barrister Tomson Tabi is in the hospital with pains on his ribs. We are told.
BaretaNews got reports from the lawyers that firm instructions came from the Southwest Attorney General to the security forces to molest any Anglophone they see in Black suits and prevent the lawyers from occupying the Buea courts.
However, in the wake of the standoff between Common Law Lawyers and security forces, an official of the US consulate in Douala Stuart Wilson visited some of the protesting lawyers and asked them not to resort to any violence. The Lawyers went on to hand him a sealed memorandum.
Speaking to one of the Lawyers who asked to remain anonymous, he wrote:
“Our fight gets to a different level. We have succeeded to secure international outreach. One of our injured colleagues has American citizenship, and the American Consul General in Douala was immediately put on notice. He went down to Buea and met the Lawyers in their hideouts and demanded evidence of brutality and Barrister Epey and his team did same. The American Ambassador was the put on Notice. He then contacted the Minister of External Relations who equally contacted the ineffective and failed Minister of Justice who has now moved to meet Bar Council Members immediately.We shall witness a rapid resolution of this matter as the Consul and Ambassador have requested that they are furnished with all paperwork regarding all petitions that were sent to the Presidency. They equally promised that were going to notify the Whitehouse within two hours.The hunter shall become the hunted due to the prayers and efforts exhibited by Common Law Lawyers.”
BaretaNews hope lasting solutions is brought to this as soon as now.
