Jean-Claude Roger Mbede (died 10 January 2014) was a

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

ian man who was sentenced to three years' imprisonment on charges of

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...

and attempted homosexuality. His sentence was protested by international human rights organizations including

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

and

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

, the latter of which named him a

prisoner of conscience A prisoner of conscience (POC) is anyone imprisoned because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, or political views. The term also refers to those who have been imprisoned or persecuted for the nonviolent expression of their conscienti ...

. On 2 March 2011, agents of Cameroon's Secretary of State for Defense (SED) security service arrested Mbede after he sent SMS messages arranging to meet a male acquaintance. According to the UK newspaper ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', the SED "regularly target and prosecute gay men" under penal code Section 347a: "Whoever has sexual relations with a person of the same sex shall be punished with imprisonment from six months to five years and with a fine ranging from 20,000 Francs CFA to 200,000 Francs CFA." Mbede was detained for one week on "suspicion of homosexuality" in

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the Capital city, capital city of Cameroon. It has a population of more than 2.8 million which makes it the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region (Cameroon), Centre Region o ...

before being formally charged with "homosexuality and attempted homosexuality" on 9 March. Mbede was represented by

Alice Nkom Alice Nkom (born January 14, 1945) is a Cameroonian lawyer, politician, and human rights activist known for her advocacy in defending the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals in Cameroon. She is the first woman in Central Africa to become a lawyer and is ...

, a noted LGBT rights attorney and head of Cameroon's Association to Defend Homosexuals. On 28 April 2011, he was found guilty on both charges and sentenced to three years' imprisonment in Kondengui Central Prison. His sentence was protested by Human Rights Watch, who described it as "a gross violation of Mbede's rights to freedom of expression and equality" and called on Cameroon's government to abolish the relevant law. Amnesty International also issued an alert on Mbede's behalf, with a spokesperson stating: "Locking someone up for their real or perceived sexual orientation is a flagrant breach of basic rights and should not be allowed under any country's penal code". Amnesty International's Africa Director Erwin var der Borght stated, "Jean-Claude Mbede is a prisoner of conscience held solely because of his perceived sexual orientation. All charges against him should be dropped and he should be released immediately." Several local branches of Amnesty International are collecting signatures demanding his release. In November 2011, Nkom stated that Mbede had suffered malnutrition and sexual assault while in prison. His appeal was scheduled for a hearing on 5 March 2012, but was delayed. He was provisionally released on 16 July 2012. 34 years old Mbede died on 10 January 2014 in his hometown

Ngoumou Ngoumou is a town and commune in Cameroon. It is known for being the death place of Jean-Claude Roger Mbede. See also *Communes of Cameroon The Divisions of Cameroon are the third-level units of administration in Cameroon. They are organised ...

after he left a hospital because he lacked money for continued medical care.Homophobia victim Roger Mbede dies in Cameroon
76crimes.com, 10 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mbede, Jean-Claude Roger 1979 births 2014 deaths Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Cameroon Cameroonian prisoners and detainees 21st-century Cameroonian LGBTQ people 21st-century Cameroonian people LGBTQ rights in Cameroon People prosecuted under anti-homosexuality laws Discrimination in Cameroon