Priest, young man arrested on gay charges in Cameroon

It’s been reported by Erasing 76 Crimes that a priest and a young man were arrested for homosexuality in Yaoundé on Friday (16 January).

According to the Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS (CAMFAIDS) the priest said that he met the young man that night.

“I was going to the market when I met this young man. He was going in the same direction as me, and we started to chat when a police team arrived,” the unnamed priest recounted.

“After police inquired, I introduced myself. But the young man, having no identity documents, told police in his defence that I had offered him money in exchange for sex.”

Officers from the Special Operations Group arrested both men. They were taken to the police station where they spent the night in the cells.

CAMFAIDS claims that the priest and the man were only released after police were paid a bribe.

“Blackmail and barbaric threats ensued during an animated discussion between the legal representative of CAMFAIDS and [an] officer Biumla,” said the group.

“In order to preserve his reputation, honour and freedom, and without forgetting the weight of his obligations to his rectory, the priest was forced to pay 100.000 FCFA (approx. US $175) to these first-class scammers to regain his freedom and that of his acquaintance.”

Cameroon is known for its high rate of prosecution of LGBT people. Same-sex sexual acts are illegal, with penalties of up to five years imprisonment.

In October, seven men were arrested on suspicion of homosexuality and prostitution after police raided a Yaoundé home. They were later released thanks to the intervention of human rights lawyer Michel Togué.