By Erica Smith
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa
YAOUNDE, Cameroon — Eric Ohena Lembembe, a gay rights activist, was found dead in his home on July 15. Lembembe was the executive director of the Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS (CAMFAIDS), which campaigns for AIDS sufferers in the country. Lembembe was an outspoken activist for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people.
Mr. Lembembe’s body was found by his friends Monday evening after he had not answered phone for two days. His friends founds his door padlocked from the outside but could see his body laying on a bed. The police were called and the door was kicked in. According to a witness, Lembembe’s neck and feet appeared to have been broken, and his face, hands, and feet had been burned with an iron.
Mr. Lembembe was one of Cameroons most well known gay rights activists. With CAMFAIDS he worked with Human Rights Watch (HRW), Alternatives-Cameroun, and the Association for the Defense of Homosexuals (ADEFHO), in researching and launching a March 2013 HRW report on prosecutions for consensual same-sex conduct. He and CAMFAIDS also meticulously documented arrests and violence against LGBTI people in Cameroon. Lembembe was also a contributor to the blog “Erasing 76 Crimes” and authored chapters in From Wrongs to Gay Rights about LGBTI rights around the world.
Homosexuality is punishable by a 5-year prison sentence in Cameroon. When anti-LGBTI prosecutions began to increase in Cameroon starting in 2005, Lembembe was one of the first to criticize the actions and shed light onto the issue. Lambembes death comes on the heels of other human rights organizations attacks in Cameroon in recent months.
The motive for his killing his unknown at this time but it is widely believed and speculated that he was murdered because of his sexuality and his work campaigning for LGBTI rights. “We don’t know who killed Eric Lembembe, or why he was killed, but one thing is clear: the Cameroonian authorities’ utter failure to stem homophobic violence sends the message that these attacks can be carried out with impunity,” said Neela Ghoshal from Human Rights Watch. “The police should not rest until the perpetrators of this horrific crime are brought to justice. President Biya should break his silence on the wave of homophobic violence in Cameroon and publicly condemn this brutal attack.”
There is fear among human rights groups that Lembembe’s murder will not be fully investigated by the police. “The friends who found Lembembe’s body have made a statement to the police, but at this point it’s hard to tell whether the police are really investigating,” said Ghoshal.
UNAIDS and the US Department of State both issued statements condemning the murder and urging Cameroonian authorities to fully investigate the case and speak out against violent actions taken toward LGBTI people.
For more information, please see:
Guardian — Cameroon gay rights activist found tortured and killed — 18 July 2013
UNAIDS — UNAIDS condemns killing of AIDS activist Eric Lembembe — 17 July 2013
Voice of America — Cameroon Urged to Assure Protection Following Death of Gay Activist — 17 July 2013
Advocate — Gay Rights Activist Killed in Cameroon — 16 July 2013
Human Rights Watch — Cameroon: LGBTI Rights Activist Found Dead, Tortured — 16 July 2013
U.S. Department of State — Murder of Cameroonian LGBT and AIDS Activist Eric Ohena Lembembe — 16 July 2013
