CALL TO FREE GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST

Gay rights activists in Cameroon are seeking justice after an activists was arrested earlier this year for being gay, reports Behind The Mask.

Yves Noe Ewane was accused under sections 74 for criminal intention, 346 for gross indecency and 347 for homosexual conduct under the Cameroonian Penal Code.

A complaint was filed against Ewane by the mother of a minor who he had allegedly sodomised.

However when summoned to appear in court on 21 June, the plaintiff and his mother did not appear and the medical examination failed to prove that the boy was sodomised as alleged by his mother.

According to Alice Nkom, president of Association pour la Defense des Homosexuels (ADEFHO), an organisation that defends the rights of homosexuals in Cameroon, the judge has no evidence to accuse Ewane with, and should therefore drop the case.

Ewane was transferred to the Douala New Bell Prison on the 19 May 2009 after being kept in police custody for three weeks at the Douala Bonanjo Police Station.

If found guilty, Ewane will face a prison sentence of between six months and five years, and have to pay a fine of $50 to $500.