LGBT rights in Cameroon

In the African country of Cameroon, homosexuality is punishable according to Article 347 of the penal code with a prison sentence of 6 months to 5 years and/or a fine of 200,000 CFA. More severe sentencing is likely when one of the offenders is under 21 years of age.

Law against Homosexuality
Homosexual acts are banned in Cameroon, and are punishable with up to five years in jail according to Section 347 of the country's penal code. In May 2005, 11 men were arrested at a nightclub on suspicion of sodomy, and the government threatened to conduct medical examinations to "prove" their homosexual activity. As of February 2006, nearly all were still being detained, with trials scheduled in March 2006.

Gay life in the country
Cameroon is a conservative society. Homosexuality is frowned upon. In 2006, a number of tabloids published the names of at least 50 very prominent people they claimed were homosexual. They condemned them for deviant behaviour. The stories boosted newspaper circulation, but were criticized by the state communication council for invading people's privacy. The campaign provoked a national debate about gay rights and privacy.

A Cameroon court jailed Jean Pierre Amougou Belinga for four months for defaming Gregoire Owona, a government minister named in the list of 50 presumed homosexuals in Cameroon.

Related topics
Joel Gustave Nana Ngongang, a leading African LGBT human rights activist from Cameroon