By Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Mimi Mefo Info
Published on 2024-01-30 05:32:44
James Mouangue Kobila, the President of the Human Rights Commission of Cameroon, has finally spoken out about the Herve Bopda case. Bopda, a 45-year-old man, has been accused of, among other things, rape, armed threats, and sexual harassment. In his statement signed on January 27th, Mouangue Kobila did not take a strong stance on a matter of significant gravity, betraying the weakness of a man clearly embarrassed by allegations of sexual harassment from one of his colleagues.
In the second paragraph of his statement, James Mouangue Kobila resigns from his position. “However, given that the initial allegations are anonymous, it objectively is not a basis for the Commission to address these human rights violation allegations as it should, that is to say: to receive the applicants and hear them out, examine the evidence submitted, listen to the alleged victims and the accused, hear the witnesses, and then confront the parties,” wrote the President of the CDHC in his statement. Mouangue Kobila thus attempts to evade the responsibilities of the institution he leads, using the excuse of anonymous allegations preventing the commission from addressing the allegations.
According to observers, this interpretation of the law poorly conceals the bad faith of the individual tasked with ensuring the protection of human rights in Cameroon. Article 6 of the Law of July 19, 2019, creating, organizing, and functioning of the Human Rights Commission of Cameroon, states that “the commission contributes to the consolidation of the rule of law and the fight against impunity in matters of human rights through, notably, the processing of requests and denunciations concerning allegations of human rights abuses.” This law clearly indicates that the commission processes both “requests and denunciations,” not excluding anonymous denunciations, especially since the locations of the violations are clearly identifiable. Furthermore, the law also allows the commission to access “any location where human rights violations are alleged.”
In the continuation of his statement, Mouangue Kobila betrays his position as a defender of human rights entangled in alleged human rights violations and abuses. He informs the public that Herve Bopda, the accused, has filed a complaint for defamation at the court against those accusing him. This curious information raises questions. Was the filing of a complaint by the accused what should have been highlighted in such a statement? If so, what is the interest of this information for the alleged victims? Reading this statement, it seems that the President of the Human Rights Commission of Cameroon is attempting to warn the alleged victims that their presumed perpetrator will fight back.
However, several victims have also filed complaints in Yaoundé and Douala, notably through lawyer Dominique Fousse, at the military court in Douala. But this information, which could have encouraged other victims to overcome their fear, was royally ignored in the signatory’s statement of January 27th.
Once again, in the same statement, Mouangue Kobila tried to come to the defense of the accused by informing the public that “the Commission … assesses the documents aiming to exonerate the accused.” Finally, the President of the Commission washed his hands by inviting “the competent authorities to promptly but with the required serenity and impartiality conduct investigations into these allegations.” This is a mission that is, however, assigned to the commission he has been leading since 2021. In Article 7 of the Law of July 19, 2019, creating, organizing, and functioning of the Human Rights Commission of Cameroon, it is indicated that, for the accomplishment of the missions mentioned in Article 6, the commission may: conduct investigations in compliance with the legislation in force.
From reading this statement, it is clear that James Mouangue Kobila has done only the bare minimum. In fact, he could not have done otherwise. Being himself brought to court for moral matters by one of his colleagues, James Mouangue Kobila could not criticize those accused like him for fear of being targetted by his “peers.” For some observers, his statement “resembles bluff.”
“We must ask ourselves whether the president of the Commission, who is accused of sexual harassment, is still legitimate to issue statements on matters related to such practices, given that he has not been cleared of suspicion,” questioned a former member of the former national human rights commission.
Joseph Essama
Read the original article(French) on Mimi Mefo Info
