RELUFA
RESEAU DE LUTTE CONTRE LA FAIM AU CAMEROUN
NETWORK FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER IN CAMEROON
No. 0043/RDA/J06/BAPP
BP 1003 YAOUNDÉ – CAMEROUN
TeL: (237)22.21.32.87
email: [email protected]
www.relufa.org
An Environmental Defender sentenced to three years in prison in Cameroon
Nasako Besingi, director of the NGO "Struggle to Economize Future Environment" (SEFE) was
condemned Tuesday, November 3, 2015, by the court in Mundemba in the southwest of Cameroon,
to 3 years in prison, accompanied by 'FCFA 1 million fine and to pay 10 million CFA francs
representing the damages and also some other costs amounting to 200 000 FCFA.
The activist was subjected since 2012, to a series judicial harassment and complaints for
"defamation" brought by SGSOC, the local subsidiary of Herakles Farms. This followed a report that
he had prepared on being attacked in the presence of witnesses by a group of men he identified as
young workers of Herakles Farms, while serving as guide to a team of television Journalists preparing
a documentary on the conflict between Herakles Farms and local communities in Mundemba
southwestern Cameroon.
Mr. Nasako Besingi has been through a series of complaints and arrest since the installation of
Herakles Farms in the Southwest region, because of his denunciation of violations of the law by the
company, which had started its operations (clearing, road opening and establishment of nurseries)
before obtaining legal title to the land, which constitutes a violation of Cameroonian land law. The
opposition of communities, challenging the legality of the presence of the company on their land and
who in their vast majority, condemned this attempt to grab their land, led to numerous conflicts with
the company.
The Network for the Fight against Hunger (RELUFA) joins this declaration to the press release issued
by the Centre For Environment and Development (CED) and believe that this sentence is a translation
of the crackdown and intimidation used silence and punish local organizations and activists who are
fighting peacefully and tirelessly to protect community rights and preserve the natural environment
and forests of Cameroon. The organization calls again on the government to guarantee the
fundamental rights included in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), such
as the right to freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial enshrined in the Cameroonian
constitution.
Done in Yaounde
5th of November 2015