COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT CAMEROON 16 JANUARY 2008 Border & Immigration Agency COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE CAMEROON 16 JANUARY 2008 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN CAMEROON FROM 1 DECEMBER 2007 TO 16 JANUARY 2008 REPORTS ON CAMEROON PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED SINCE 1 DECEMBER 2007 Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ......................................................................................... 1.01 Map ................................................................................................ 1.04 2. ECONOMY ............................................................................................. 2.01 3. HISTORY ............................................................................................... 3.01 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS ....................................................................... 4.01 5. CONSTITUTION ...................................................................................... 5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM ................................................................................ 6.01 Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 7.01 National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms (NCHRF).................................................................. 7.09 8. SECURITY SITUATION ............................................................................. 8.01 9. CRIME ................................................................................................... 9.01 10. SECURITY FORCES............................................................................... 10.01 Police............................................................................................. 10.03 Arbitrary arrest and detention .................................................... 10.08 Torture ....................................................................................... 10.10 Extra-judicial killings .................................................................. 10.16 Armed forces ................................................................................ 10.18 Arbitrary arrest and detention .................................................... 10.21 Torture ...................................................................................... 10.22 Extra-judicial killings .................................................................. 10.23 Other government forces ............................................................ 10.24 Avenues and procedures of complaint ...................................... 10.25 11. MILITARY SERVICE............................................................................... 11.01 12. ABUSES BY NON-GOVERNMENT ARMED FORCES .................................. 12.01 Bepanda Nine ............................................................................... 12.01 Arbitrary arrest and detention..................................................... 12.03 Torture........................................................................................... 12.04 Forced conscription..................................................................... 12.05 13. JUDICIARY........................................................................................... 13.01 Organisation ................................................................................. 13.05 Independence ............................................................................... 13.06 Fair trial ......................................................................................... 13.07 Penal code .................................................................................... 13.12 ii This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 16 January 2008. Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. CAMEROON 16 JANUARY 2008 Code of criminal procedure......................................................... 13.13 14. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS............................................ 14.01 15. PRISON CONDITIONS............................................................................ 15.01 16. DEATH PENALTY.................................................................................. 16.01 17. POLITICAL AFFILIATION........................................................................ 17.01 Freedom of political expression ................................................. 17.02 Freedom of association and assembly ...................................... 17.04 Opposition groups and political activists.................................. 17.07 Recent political developments.................................................... 17.28 18. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA ........................................................ 18.01 19. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS............ 19.01 20. CORRUPTION....................................................................................... 20.01 21. FREEDOM OF RELIGION........................................................................ 21.01 22. ETHNIC GROUPS .................................................................................. 22.01 23. LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS....................... 23.01 Legal rights ................................................................................... 23.01 Government attitudes .................................................................. 23.03 Societal ill treatment or discrimination ...................................... 23.08 24. DISABILITY .......................................................................................... 24.01 25. WOMEN............................................................................................... 25.01 Political rights............................................................................... 25.01 Legal rights ................................................................................... 25.05 Prisons .......................................................................................... 25.12 Societal ill treatment or discrimination ...................................... 25.13 Violence against women.............................................................. 25.19 Early marriage .............................................................................. 25.23 Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)................................................. 25.24 Prostitution ................................................................................... 25.27 26. CHILDREN ........................................................................................... 26.01 Basic information ......................................................................... 26.01 Breast ironing ............................................................................... 26.12 Education ...................................................................................... 26.15 Child care ...................................................................................... 26.24 Health issues ................................................................................ 26.25 27. TRAFFICKING....................................................................................... 27.01 28. MEDICAL ISSUES ................................................................................. 28.01 Overview of availability of medical treatment and drugs ......... 28.09 HIV/AIDS – anti-retroviral treatment ........................................... 28.12 Cancer treatment.......................................................................... 28.21 Kidney dialysis ............................................................................. 28.22 Sickle cell ...................................................................................... 28.24 Mental health ................................................................................ 28.25 Buruli ulcers……………………………………………………………28.26 29. HUMANITARIAN ISSUES ........................................................................ 29.01 30. FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT ..................................................................... 30.01 31. INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE (IDPS) .............................................. 31.01 32. FOREIGN REFUGEES ............................................................................ 32.01 33. CITIZENSHIP AND NATIONALITY ............................................................ 33.01 Identity cards ................................................................................ 33.07 34. EXIT/ ENTRY PROCEDURES................................................................... 34.01 35. EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS.......................................................................... 35.01 36. WITCHCRAFT....................................................................................... 36.01 This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 16 January 2008. iii Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. CAMEROON 16 JANUARY 2008 Annexes Annex A – Chronology of major events Annex B – Political organisations Annex C – Prominent people, past and present Annex D – List of Cabinet Ministers, September 2006 Annex E – List of abbreviations Annex F – References to source material iv This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most