Country Report Cameroon May 2011

The political scene: The US government publishes its annual human rights report

The US Department of State's latest human rights report, released in April, documented numerous abuses in Cameroon during 2010: unlawful deprivation of life, torture and ill-treatment, arbitrary detention, human-trafficking and discrimination against minorities. Notably, the report said that there was a dramatic increase in attacks on journalists and that several media outlets continue to practice self-censorship. Reflecting the lack of press freedom, a number of journalists have been detained in recent months following small protests against the regime in February (April 2011, The political scene), and the limited space for the expression of discontent will continue to favour the regime in the run-up to the presidential elections. Moreover, in April the Cameroonian authorities suspended, at the last minute, the holding of a human rights film festival in the capital, Yaoundé.

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