The recent sentencing of two Cameroonian transgender persons to five years in jail for "attempted homosexuality, indecent dressing, and lack of identification papers has sparked outrage from international rights groups. Twenty-three-year-old Njeukam Loic Midrel (Shakiro) and twenty-seven-year-old Mouthe Roland (Patricia) were arrested in February of this year while having dinner at a restaurant in Douala, Cameroon’s economic capital.
While the Cameroonian criminal code outlaws sexual relationships between same-sex people, the law typically only applies if they are caught in "flagrante delicto." Since 2016 however, the law has been tightened to ban any sexual relations "between men and women." Police are also authorized to inflict humiliating searches on suspected LGBTQ arrestees, including anal examinations intended to find "proof of homosexual conduct."
In responding to the arrest and sentencing of her clients, attorney Alice Nkom has openly denounced the arrest in a Facebook post. “Which law punishes trans [women] for wearing a skirt for five years?" she wrote. "Nobody should be imprisoned for a simple suspicion; this opens the door to imprisonment without proof?” Minority Rights Africa described the ruling as “an increasing clampdown on gay and transgender people” and has already sparked increased fear among Cameroon's sexual minorities.
Shakiro became a social media celebrity from a YouTube video posted last year in which she openly stated that she "feels good as a woman." Along with 26,000 views, Shakiro also gained 5,000 fans and has become a public face for trans persons in the country. The conviction of Shakiro and Patricia is only the latest incident in a country already known for its anti-LGBTQ intolerance. In the same month of their arrest, there have been twenty-seven arrests and three murders. More are likely expected.
Along with their prison sentence, Shakiro and Patricia were also ordered to pay a fine of 200,000 CFA francs (370 USD). Failure to pay could earn them another year in jail.
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