the Cameroonian security forces, the lawyer Michelle Ndoki, vice-president of the Women's Directorate of the MRC of Maurice Kamto, was later transferred to the Secretary of State for Defense (SED).She should be auditioned tomorrow Thursday, February 28 at the Special Operations Group (GSO).
An interpellation that sparked a wave of reactions in national and international opinion. In a statement issued Wednesday, the International Observatory for Lawyers in Danger abbreviated OIAD, supports Michelle Ndokie, and criticizes the repression suffered by Cameroonian lawyers
"Lawyers, like all other citizens, must enjoy freedom of expression, belief, association and assembly. In particular, they have the right to participate in public discussions on the law, the administration of justice and the promotion and protection of human rights, "says the OIAD
Below its press
Me Michelle Ndoki, Cameroonian lawyer, seriously injured on the sidelines of January 26 protests in Douala Saturday, January 26, took place in several cities in Cameroon "white marches" initiated by the opposition party MRC (Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon).
The country is plunged into a serious crisis since the re-election, on October 7, 2018, of President Paul Biya (who begins his seventh consecutive term) against the leader of the MRC, Maurice Kamto. Me Ndoki, a Cameroonian lawyer, is Vice-President of the Women's Directorate of the MRC.
It has taken a public stand to denounce the "continuous harassment" suffered by this party, which it defends many activists currently imprisoned. On January 26, the security forces began firing tear gas shortly after the start of the demonstration, causing a movement of mobs.
Witnesses report live ammunition. It is in this context that one of the leaders of the MRC, Mr. Célestin Djamen, is wounded and transported to the hospital. Mr. Ndoki, who is not one of the demonstrators, decides to go to the Hospital by car, and finally to inquire about Mr. Djamen's condition.
Access was denied, and when she got out of the car, a police officer followed her and shot her four times, touching her three times, and wounding a shopkeeper next door. The injury of Me Ndoki adds to the heavy toll of the repression suffered by Cameroonian lawyers for the only day of January 26, including the detention of three of his colleagues Me Emmanuel Simth, Me André Maris Tassa and Me Alphonse Ngaliembou , one of whom was apprehended in the hotel where he resided.
OIAD expresses its full support for Mr. Ndoki and the lawyers detained following the 26 January demonstration, and strongly condemns both the excessive use of force and the arbitrary arrests by the Cameroonian authorities.
OIAD reminds them that, in accordance with the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, "Lawyers, like all other citizens, must enjoy the freedom of expression, belief, association and meeting. In particular, they have the right to take part in public discussions on the law, the administration of justice and the promotion and protection of human rights "(Principle 23).
The OIAD urges the Cameroonian authorities to respect their duty to ensure "that access to the profession of lawyer, or the exercise of this profession, are not hindered by any discrimination based on (...) political opinions" (principle n ° 10).
Who are we ? The International Observatory for Lawyers in Danger was founded by the National Bar Council (France), the Paris Bar (France), the Consejo General de la Abogacia Espanola (Spain), and the Consiglio Nazionale Forense (Italy).
Its purpose is to keep a permanent watch on the situation of lawyers threatened around the world because of the legitimate exercise of their profession and to assist lawyers whose life, liberty or professional practice are threatened.
Source: 237act.com