Two transgender women in Cameroon have been sentenced to five years in prison for 'attempted homosexuality'.
One of the transgender women is a local social media celebrity who goes by the name 'Shakiro', the other is known to go by the name 'Patricia'.
Both received a 200,000 CFA Franc ($372.44) fine alongside their prison sentences. Five years is the maximum sentence for homosexuality in Cameroon which is just one of 30 African nations in which homosexuality is illegal. Both were also convicted of public indecency and failing to carry ID cards.
The defence lawyer has stated that they will appeal the conviction. Acting defence lawyer Alice Nkom denounced the conviction saying that it was politically motivated. She said:
"This is a political decision. It's Yaounde (the central government) that said these people must not bring homosexuality to Cameroon."
Human Rights groups and LGBT groups have said that the arrests are among a growing crackdown on same-sex relations and gay people within Cameroon.
Human Rights Watch said of the recent crackdown in Cameroon:
"Based on Human Rights Watch's monitoring and discussions with Cameroonian nongovernmental organizations, the recent accounts of abuse documented here seem to be part of an overall uptick in police action against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Cameroon. Sexual relations between people of the same sex are criminalized in Cameroon and punished with up to five years in prison."
Neela Ghoshal, associate LGBT rights director at Human Rights Watch, added:
"The law criminalizing same-sex conduct puts LGBT people at a heightened risk of being mistreated, tortured, and assaulted without any consequences for the abusers. The Cameroonian government has an obligation to uphold the rights of everyone in Cameroon, regardless of their real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. The authorities should immediately end arbitrary arrests on the basis of sexual identity and forced anal examinations and should take swift steps to repeal the law criminalizing consensual same-sex relations." 2
[h/t: Reuters]
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