Jungle Justice in Cameroon

In Cameroon, it is not uncommon to see a criminal striped naked - mercilessly pounded with sticks, stones, metals, et cetera - bleeding profusely and set ablaze by an angry crowd. This is "jungle justice."

"Jungle law" applies to criminals of all ranks - from pick pockets to armed robbers and murderers. Many "criminals" have even been killed for attempted thievery. Civil offenders also face jungle justice in Cameroon. I vividly remember the case of an exiled traditional ruler - Vugah Simon II of Kedjom Keku, a village in the North West Province, who was beaten to death and set ablaze. What was his crime? He was accused of selling village farmlands and destroying the tradition of the village he once ruled.

In Cameroon, it is common to see jungle law applied in the presence of police officers - many of whom are either in favor of the practice or are powerless in the face of an angry crowd. In many instances, jungle justice is served to "suspects" - long before the police arrive on the crime scene. There have been shocking instances where criminals in police or gendarme custody have been seized by an angry crowd and beaten to death.

WATCH a shocking video footage of the application of jungle justice in the economic capital of Cameroon - Douala ...



What law sanctioned the above case? Who was the judge? Who was the defence counsel?

Is Cameroon a lawless state where angry citizens take the law into their own hands and sentence criminals to death on the streets?

Proponents of jungle justice have attempted to justify this inhumane practice. Many argue that the police force is corrupt and criminals bribe their way out. No doubt, it is true that the police force is corrupt but does this justify carnage and barbarism?

The government of Cameroon has failed - and continues to fail - in its [legal] obligation to protect victims of jungle justice. The Preamble of the Constitution of the Republic states that all accused persons are entitled to the rights of defence and are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. It also provides that every person has the right to humane treatment under all circumstances. It is worth mentioning that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights are incorporated into the Constitution.

Cameroon is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and other international conventions that prohibit torture, cruel or degrading treatment and uphold the right to life. Article 6(1) of the ICCPR guarantees every individual's "inherent right to life". This article stipulates that no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of life and that the right to life shall be protected by law. Article 7 provides that no one shall be subjected to cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment or punishment.

The state must fulfill its obligation under international and national law to protect and promote civil and constitutional rights of all individuals. To achieve this, the state should move quickly to put an end to such abysmal violation of rights.

Citizens of Cameroon seem to be unaware of the fact that they, as citizens of a democratic state, have a constitutional duty to respect the rights of other people. It is not uncommon to hear citizens complain about violation of their rights. What about the rights of others?

Many people mistakenly think that criminals do not have rights. The truth is all natural persons have rights by virtue of being human and every individual has a duty to respect the rights of others.

Jungle justice is unlawful, inhumane and a violation of constitutional and fundamental rights of countless victims. The government of Cameroon should end impunity and hold perpetrators of jungle justice accountable.

*Photos courtesy - AfricaNews.com and abantu.blogspot.com

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Facebook violates Right to Privacy?

It is true that many Facebook users do not have a clue about Facebook's privacy tools and policies. Personally, I have come across many Facebook profiles - profiles of people I do not know - but their photographs, personal information and postings are visible to everyone. When I became aware of this privacy and security breach, I immediately checked the privacy settings of my Facebook account and behold - all my personal information and photographs were available to everyone, including third party applications and websites! No doubt, many users join Facebook and for one reason or the other, want their personal information to be visible to everyone, but what about those who want to share information only with family and friends? What about the right to privacy? Recently, there have been rising concerns about privacy on Facebook - does the social networking site violate the right to privacy?

Facebook currently has more that 400 million users - many of whom, unfortunately, are not aware of the privacy loopholes and security features that enhance privacy on the site. On 18 May 2010, a friend of mine on Facebook posted an article on her wall, entitled - Facebook launches new security feature. I must tell you - the article addresses an important security concern, but surprisingly, Facebook failed to notify many - if not all users about the new security feature. Were you notified? Does this ring a bell? Does Facebook really care about the right to privacy and the security of its users?

It is worth mentiong that Facebook has an "opt out" - rather than an "opt in" privacy policy. This means that as a user, you must opt-out of a privacy setting that breaches your privacy, rather than opt-in; if you don't need any privacy. Simply put, by default, Facebook breaches the privacy of users!

One of Facebook's core principles is this: if people share more, the world will become more open and connected. Does this justify the sharing of personal and contact information, photographs and postings of users without their informed consent?

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's Chief Executive, said in an article in the Washington Post, that "a world that is more open and connected is a better world". Of course, this is true - but only to an extent.

Zuckerberg seems to have quickly forgotten about Nona Belomesoff - an 18-year-old Australian girl, allegedly lured to her death by a man she met on Facebook; Zuckerberg seems to have hastily forgotten about Ashleigh Hall - a 17-year-old girl lured to her death by a convicted sex offender on Facebook. Cases like these, urgently remind you to exercise caution in online interactions. Sharing personal information online could be fatal!

Recently, Facebook shared user information with advertising companies. This move is a vivid reminder of the story of Shi Tao - a Chinese journalist who was sentenced to 10 years in prison because Yahoo! exposed his identity.

Some have argued that by accepting the terms and conditions of Facebook, users can no longer claim a violation of the right to privacy. This is a valid argument, but irrespective of what you think, you would agree that it is more important to chase the fox away before you blame the chicken for wandering deep into the forest. In this information age, a violation of the right to privacy - a fundamental human right - has far reaching consequences. Criminals, repressive governments, you name it, have now turned to the internet and social networking sites like Facebook to gather more information about their next victims. By sharing personal information with third parties and failing to give users effective control over what is shared - and with whom it is shared - Facebook puts millions of unsuspecting users in harm's way.

What can Facebook do about this?

Facebook should pay more attention to the right to privacy and give users effective control over the information they share. It would be great to have a default setting where private information is shared with "only friends". Besides, the complicated privacy control settings should be simplified.

More importantly, as a Facebook user, you should be more responsible and pay particular attention to your privacy and security settings, as well as the information you share on Facebook.

Like I said in an earlier article - Authentic Personalities on Facebook - Facebook has gone beyond connecting friends.

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Turkey jails Children for Supporting Anti-Government Protests

This morning, while watching the BBC, I was outraged by the story of Berivan, a 15-year-old Kurdish girl jailed for 8 years in a high security prison in Turkey - on charges of supporting a terrorist organization. Of course, the charge - "supporting a terrorist organization" caught my attention and sent me digging deep into the story. I wanted to find out how the little girl was supporting a terrorist organization. Was the minor a terrorist recruit? Did the 15-year-old attempt to blow up an aircraft or a public building in Turkey? Further reading led me to even more outrageous stories - which confirm the fact that the government of Turkey jails Kurdish children for supporting anti-government protests in south-east Turkey.

According to the BBC, there are currently more than 340 Kurdish children behind bars in Turkey, on charges of supporting a terrorist group.

In April 2010, the Turkish High court sentenced 15 Kurdish children for throwing stones at police officers and for participating in anti-government protests - in support of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) - an organisation listed as a terrorist group.

Founded in the 1970's - the goal of the PKK is to secure the cultural and political rights of the Kurdish population - an ethnic minority group in Turkey, as well as to create an independent Kurdish state. It is worth mentioning that the organization has been involved in an armed struggle against the government and it is currently outlawed in Turkey

Does the participation of minors in anti-government protests and "chanting illegal slogans" in support of the PKK, justify "exceptionally harsh" anti-terror law that jeopardize the welfare of children?

Talking to the BBC, a Kurdish child said: "They're always unfair to us; they don't want us to speak our own language - we want to speak our own language and use our own flag. We don't want to be ruled by others".

Turkey is party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and has a legal obligation under international law to protect the rights of children. Mindful of this obligation - why is the government of Turkey unwilling to amend such a flawed law that puts children ( from a minority ethnic group ) in jail? Why are children held in high security prisons - together with hardened PKK militants?

If you ask me - Turkey should amend the harsh anti-terrorist law that jails children for supporting anti-government demonstrations. While it true that the PKK is outlawed for threatening the "indivisible unity" of the Turkish Republic - it is also true that Kurdish children held in high security jails are not PKK militants and do not pose any real threat to the national security of Turkey. The children are simply victims of the long-standing conflict between the government of Turkey and the PKK.

The European Union (EU) and the international community should mount pressure on Turkey to quickly end the shameful practice of throwing children into adult high security jails - in the name of fighting Terrorism.

Help sign a petition to push for the release of Berivan and all Kurdish children in Turkish jails, here.

*Photo from PressTv: Berivan, a 15-year-old Kurdish girl who is jailed in January 2010 for throwing stones at police officers and chanting illegal slogans.

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