Cameroon journalist held incommunicado for publishing photo of security forces

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is calling on Cameroonian authorities to immediately release journalist George Lekeaka, who has been held incommunicado since Monday. Lekeaka was arrested for publishing a photograph of security forces on patrol during clashes with separatist fighters.

"George Atabong Lekeaka should not have been arrested for attempting to provide the public with security information, let alone secretly detained without access to a lawyer or his family, in violation of his rights," said Moussa Ngom, CPJ’s Francophone Africa representative. Ngom urged Cameroonian authorities to disclose Lekeaka's whereabouts, release him, and cease targeting journalists covering the Anglophone crisis.

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George Atabong Lekeaka should not have been arrested for attempting to provide the public with security information, let alone secretly detained without access to a lawyer or his family, in violation of his rights.

Lekeaka, a contributor to the Facebook page All-About-Cameroon, posted a photo on August 10 of a soldier and a police officer in the southwestern city of Buea. The accompanying post warned of "serious gunfire exchange between the military and the 'boyses'" and advised residents to stay home. Hours later, Lekeaka identified himself to soldiers searching the area near where the photo was taken and was subsequently detained.

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Cameroonian authorities should immediately disclose Lekeaka’s whereabouts, release him, and refrain from targeting journalists for covering the Anglophone crisis.

A habeas corpus petition filed by his lawyer, Emmanuel Aleambong Nkea, revealed that Lekeaka was taken to a military assembly point. A witness stated that arresting officers refused to disclose their destination and threatened the witness with detention if they did not leave the scene. Lawyer Nkea has been unable to ascertain Lekeaka's current location.

The Anglophone crisis, which began in 2016, involves protests by lawyers and teachers against the appointment of French-speaking officials in the English-speaking regions, leading to a government crackdown and a secessionist rebellion. Reporting from these regions is perilous, with journalists facing intimidation and lengthy prison sentences. The article also references the case of Samuel Wazizi, who died in government custody in 2019 after reporting on the conflict, and highlights that three of the four journalists imprisoned in Cameroon as of December 1 are serving sentences of over nine years for reporting on the crisis.

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Serious gunfire exchange between the military and the ‘boyses’ at mile 18 Buea, please stay home and stay safe.