Cameroon

no person shall be harassed on grounds of his origin, religious, philosophical
or political opinions or beliefs, subject to respect for public policyThe Republic of Cameroon population is estimated to be 27.7 million,[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cameroon/[/ref] and is composed of more than 275 ethnic groups.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cameroon/[/ref]

70% of the population is Christian, 18% Muslim, 3.3% animist, and 5.5% reports no religious affiliation.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cameroon/[/ref] Many members of other faiths also adhere to some aspects of animist beliefs.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cameroon/[/ref]

There are correlations between religion, language, ethnic group and region. Christians are concentrated in the south and west of the country. Anglophone regions are largely Protestant, and the southern Francophone regions are mostly Catholic. The Fulani (Peuhl) ethnic group is mostly Muslim and lives primarily in the northern Francophone regions; the Bamoun ethnic group is also predominantly Muslim and lives in the West Region.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cameroon/[/ref]

The president has been in office since 1982. He illegitimacy exerts control over the legislative and judicial branches of government.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/cameroon/[/ref] Members of the President’s ethnic group hold key positions and are disproportionately represented in the government, state-owned businesses, and security forces.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/cameroon/[/ref] The judicial branch of government is weakened by corruption, political influence and undue control by the executive. The president appoints judges, and can dismiss them at will.[ref]https://freedomhouse.org/country/cameroon/freedom-world/2021[/ref]

Constitution and government Education and children’s rights Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values
‘Blasphemy’ is outlawed or criticism of religion (including de facto ‘blasphemy’ laws) is restricted and punishable with a prison sentence
State-funding of religious institutions or salaries, or discriminatory tax exemptions
There is state funding of at least some religious schools
Discriminatory prominence is given to religious bodies, traditions or leaders
Expression of core humanist principles on democracy, freedom or human rights is somewhat restricted
Official symbolic deference to religion
Anomalous discrimination by local or provincial authorities, or overseas territories
Some concerns about political or media freedoms, not specific to the non-religious
Concerns that secular or religious authorities interfere in specifically religious freedoms
Constitution and government
State-funding of religious institutions or salaries, or discriminatory tax exemptions
Official symbolic deference to religion
Anomalous discrimination by local or provincial authorities, or overseas territories
Education and children’s rights
There is state funding of at least some religious schools
Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals
Discriminatory prominence is given to religious bodies, traditions or leaders
Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values
‘Blasphemy’ is outlawed or criticism of religion (including de facto ‘blasphemy’ laws) is restricted and punishable with a prison sentence
Expression of core humanist principles on democracy, freedom or human rights is somewhat restricted
Some concerns about political or media freedoms, not specific to the non-religious
Concerns that secular or religious authorities interfere in specifically religious freedoms
Use of Conscientious Objection clauses resulting in the denial of lawful services to women and LGBTI+ people
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in all or most state-funded schools with no secular or humanist alternative
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: Kazakhstan

The state is secular, with separation of religious and political authorities, not discriminating against any religion or belief
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
No fundamental restrictions on freedom of expression or advocacy of humanist values
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

No condition holds in this strand
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: Andorra

No condition holds in this strand
Religious courts or tribunals rule directly on some family or ‘moral’ matters; it is legally an opt-in system, but the possibility of social coercion is very clear
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

Localised or infrequent but recurring and widespread social marginalisation or prejudice against the non-religious

This condition is unusual in that it is applied in cases where there is some social discrimination, but it is not pervasive or nationwide. This condition is applied when there is sufficient background evidence to warrant the assertion that discrimination is not anomalous but widespread, and this condition may be applied for example even where if there is no legislative discrimination or where the non-religious may have legal recourse against such discrimination. However, societal discrimination (i.e. discrimination by peers, as opposed to state or legal discrimination) is not easily measured, and for this reason the Report does not currently have similar more severe boundary conditions to capture higher levels of social discrimination per se. In principle these may be introduced in future. However, we consider that countries with actual higher levels of social discrimination against the non-religious will generally already meet other higher level (more severe) boundary conditions under this thematic strand.

Countries: Botswana, Greece, Serbia, United States of America

The dominant influence of religion in public life undermines the right to equality and/or non-discrimination

Applied when the influence of religion on public life undermines others’ rights, such as SRHR, women’s rights, LGBTI+ rights.

May be applied when the influence is overt (i.e. when religious laws are applied to undermine others’ rights) or covert (i.e. where religious pressure groups exert influence to affect policy)

Countries: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brunei Darussalam, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Croatia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eswatini, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Liberia, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Oman, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Zambia

The non-religious are persecuted socially or there are prohibitive social taboos against atheism, humanism or secularism
Complete tyranny precludes all freedoms of expression and thought, religion or belief

Applied when overriding acts of oppression by the State are extreme, to the extent that the question of freedom of thought and expression is almost redundant, because all human rights and freedoms are quashed by authorities.

Countries: North Korea

Expression of core Humanist principles on democracy, freedom and human rights is brutally repressed
Expression of non-religious views is severely persecuted, or is rendered almost impossible by severe social stigma, or is highly likely to be met with hatred or violence
There is significant social marginalisation of the non-religious or stigma associated with expressing atheism, humanism or secularism
Religious or ideological indoctrination is utterly pervasive in schools
There is a nominal state church with few privileges or progress is being made toward disestablishment

Countries: Bulgaria, Norway, Peru, Rwanda

The non-religious are barred from some government offices (including posts reserved for particular religions or sects)
‘Apostasy’ is outlawed and punishable with a prison sentence

Countries: Bahrain, Comoros, Jordan, Kuwait

‘Apostasy’ or conversion from a specific religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Some religious courts rule in civil or family matters on a coercive or discriminatory basis
Religious authorities have supreme authority over the state

Countries: Iran

State legislation is partly derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general

This condition is applied where there are miscellaneous indicators that organs of the state offer various forms of support for a religion, or to religion in general over non-religious worldviews, suggesting a preference for those beliefs, or that the organs of that religion are privileged.

Countries: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Montenegro, Mozambique, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

There is a pattern of impunity or collusion in violence by non-state actors against the nonreligious
State-funded schools provide religious education which may be nominally comprehensive but is substantively biased or borderline confessional
Religious or ideological instruction in a significant number of schools is of a coercive fundamentalist or extremist variety

This condition highlights countries where schools subject children to fundamentalist religious instruction with no real opportunity to question fundamentalist tenets, or where lessons routinely encourage hatred (for example religious or ethnic hatred). The wording “significant number of schools” is not given a rigid quantification (sometimes the worst-offending schools are unregistered, illegal, or otherwise uncounted); however the condition is not applied in cases where only a small number of schools meet the description and may be anomalous, as opposed to being indicative of a widespread problem.

Countries: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia

State legislation is largely or entirely derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Anomalous discrimination by local or provincial authorities, or overseas territories
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in at least some public schools (without secular or humanist alternatives)
‘Blasphemy’ or criticism of religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Government figures or state agencies openly marginalize, harass, or incite hatred or violence against the non-religious
Government authorities push a socially conservative, religiously or ideologically inspired agenda, without regard to the rights of those with progressive views
It is illegal to advocate secularism or church-state separation, or such advocacy is suppressed
Prohibitive interreligious social control (including interreligious marriage bans)
Quasi-divine veneration of a ruling elite is enforced, or a single-party regime holds uncontested power, subject to severe punishment
Legal or constitutional provisions exclude non-religious views from freedom of belief
It is illegal to register an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization, or such groups are persecuted by authorities
There is a religious tax or tithing which is compulsory, or which is state-administered and discriminates by precluding non-religious groups
The non-religious are barred from holding government office
Some concerns about children's right to specifically religious freedom

This condition may apply if specifically religious education, religious materials, or specific religious denominations are so tightly controlled that children are in fact over-protected from exposure to religion and are likely unable to explore or construct their own worldview in accordance with their evolving capacities. This condition helps us to classify states (perhaps with secular constitutions) which have criminalized specifically religious beliefs or practices. This condition is not applied if the restricted beliefs or practices are found to be outlawed due to their being of an extremist variety. While this condition does not directly reflect discrimination against non-religious persons or non-religious ideas, it does represent an overall threat to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief; such restrictions could spill over to affect non-religious beliefs later; and they pose a risk of backlash against over-zealous secular authorities or even against non-religious individuals by association.

Countries: China, Congo, Democratic Republic of, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guyana, Italy, Kazakhstan, Laos, Madagascar, Mexico, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe

It is illegal or unrecognised to identify as an atheist or as non-religious
It is made difficult to register or operate an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization
Legend
 
Severe Discrimination
Systemic Discrimination
Mostly Satisfactory
More information about rating table

Constitution and government

Article 1 of the Constitution[ref]https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Cameroon_2008.pdf?lang=en[/ref] declares Cameroon to be:

The Republic of Cameroon shall be a decentralized unitary State. It shall be one and indivisible, secular, democratic and dedicated to social service. It shall recognize and protect traditional values that conform to democratic principles, human rights and the law. It shall ensure the equality of all citizens before the law.

In its preamble, the Constitution makes asserts that the State shall follow the principles of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights, including that “freedom of religion and worship shall be guaranteed” along with the freedoms of expression, assembly and association. It asserts that,

“We, the people of Cameroon, Declare that the human person, without distinction as to race, religion, sex or belief, possesses inalienable and sacred rights.”

The preamble also states that, “no person shall be harassed on grounds of his origin, religious, philosophical or political opinions or beliefs, subject to respect for public policy.”

Institutional discrimination against the non-religious

The law on freedom of association does not recognize belief groups and limits organized activity to religious groups. Only religious congregations are allowed to register, they are defined as “any group of natural persons or corporate bodies whose vocation is divine worship” or “any group of persons living in community in accordance with a religious doctrine.”[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cameroon/; https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Cameroon_2008?lang=en[/ref]

The state-sponsored television station and radio stations regularly broadcast Christian and Islamic religious services and ceremonies on national holidays and during national events.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cameroon/[/ref]

Government ministers and other officials often attended these ceremonies.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cameroon/[/ref]

Education and children’s rights

The government provides subsidies to all private primary and secondary education institutions, including those operated by religious denominations. Unlike public schools, private schools may offer religious education.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cameroon/[/ref]

Many children are deprived of their right to education due to schools closing because of the ongoing armed conflict. Attacks and kidnappings of students and teachers at those schools are frequent.[ref]https://freedomhouse.org/country/cameroon/freedom-world/2021; https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/12/1107072[/ref] At least 70 schools have been attacked since 2017.[ref]https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/12/15/cameroon-armed-separatists-attack-education[/ref] Separatist groups have also carried out hundreds of kidnappings. Human Rights Watch documented 268 abductions of students and education professionals since 2017.[ref]https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/12/16/they-are-destroying-our-future/armed-separatist-attacks-students-teachers-and; https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/07/11/kidnappings-endemic-cameroons-anglophone-regions[/ref]

Child marriage

Reports show a gender disparity in education, the literacy rate in 2019 was 86% for women and girls, compared to 97% for boys and men.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/cameroon/[/ref] UNICEF’s 2018 child marriage data show that 31% of women between the ages of 20 and 24 were married before they turned 18 and, of these, 10% were married before they turned 15.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/cameroon/[/ref]

Child marriages are more prevalent in the northern part of the country.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/cameroon/[/ref] Over 22% of girls aged 15-19 have experienced sexual violence, notably within the context of child marriage.[ref]https://www.upr-info.org/sites/default/files/document/cameroon/session_30_-_may_2018/a_hrc_wg.6_30_cmr_2_e.pdf[/ref]

Conflict with Boko Haram has exacerbated the already prevalent practice of child marriage and sexual abuse of minors in the Far North Region.[ref]https://freedomhouse.org/country/cameroon/freedom-world/2021[/ref] In northern Cameroon, marriage is used as a way to recover a family’s debts.[ref]https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/documents/959/Child-marriage-in-humanitarian-contexts_August-2020.pdf[/ref] The conflict in northern Cameroon cause loss of assets, reduced incomes and increased seclusion of girls which can lead families to see child marriage as a way to meet their needs.[ref]https://international-review.icrc.org/articles/child-marriage-armed-conflict#footnote90_tt9fqsw[/ref] Crises exacerbate factors that drive child marriage also include insecurity and lack of access to services such as education.[ref]https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/documents/959/Child-marriage-in-humanitarian-contexts_August-2020.pdf[/ref]

Family, community and society

Freedom of religion or belief is restricted in northern areas affected by the presence of Boko Haram.[ref]https://freedomhouse.org/country/cameroon/freedom-world/2021[/ref] Radicalization is reportedly increasing in the predominantly Muslim northern regions where it is said local residents “hate and threaten” those who convert from Islam.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cameroon/[/ref]

Armed conflict

The country has an ongoing armed conflict. Government forces, separatists and Islamist militias are all reported to have committed human rights abuses.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/cameroon/; https://freedomhouse.org/country/cameroon/freedom-world/2021; https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/africa/west-and-central-africa/cameroon/report-cameroon/[/ref] There is a lack of rule of law and violence against civilians, many attacks also have a religious profile. Boko Haram and ISIS-WA commit acts of mass violence within the Far North Region in an attempt to impose their religious and political beliefs.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/cameroon/; https://freedomhouse.org/country/cameroon/freedom-world/2021[/ref]

Reproductive health and harmful practices

Societal pressures continued to reinforce taboos on discussing reproductive health within certain communities. Women face barriers in issues related to reproductive rights, such as needing their husbands’ consent in contraceptive decisions.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cameroon/[/ref] A UN Population Fund (UNFPA) from October 2020 indicated that 48% of married or in-union women aged 15-49 made their own informed decisions regarding their reproductive healthcare.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cameroon/[/ref]

Section 356 of the Penal Code[ref]https://www.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/laws/en/cm/cm014en.pdf[/ref] criminalizes forced or early marriages, however the issues are still widespread.

Harmful practices against women persist as a prevalent issue. Such include female genital mutilation, breast ironing, discriminatory widowhood rights, and kidnapping of children, including young girls, for the sale of organs or magic or religious/magic practices. There are no laws specifically outlawing female genital mutilation (FGM) or breast ironing.[ref]https://www.upr-info.org/sites/default/files/document/cameroon/session_30_-_may_2018/a_hrc_wg.6_30_cmr_2_e.pdf, para. 62-63[/ref]

Discrimination against women

Cameroon has discriminatory legal provisions, including polygamy, the husband’s role as the head of household, the administration of family property and of the wife’s property by the husband, and the lower minimum age of marriage for women than for men.[ref]https://www.upr-info.org/sites/default/files/document/cameroon/session_30_-_may_2018/a_hrc_wg.6_30_cmr_2_e.pdf, para. 43[/ref]

The law does not address spousal rape and Article 297 of the Penal Code[ref]https://www.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/laws/en/cm/cm014en.pdf[/ref] states that rape shall not be prosecuted if the victim and the offender are subsequently married. Rape cases are rarely investigated or prosecuted, especially since victims often did not report them.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/cameroon/[/ref]

Cameroon criminalizes abortion in Articles 337-339 of the Penal Code, women are required to obtain certification from the prosecutor before attaining a legal abortion.[ref]https://www.upr-info.org/sites/default/files/document/cameroon/session_30_-_may_2018/a_hrc_wg.6_30_cmr_2_e.pdf,  para. 50; https://abortion-policies.srhr.org/country/cameroon/#legal-ground-and-gestational-limit[/ref]

Traditional legal values and practices often take precedence over the formal law and discriminate against women.[ref]https://freedomhouse.org/country/cameroon/freedom-world/2021[/ref]

In many regions and especially rural areas, women are still dispossessed of their inheritance rights.[ref]https://freedomhouse.org/country/cameroon/freedom-world/2021[/ref] Women generally do not own land, the right of ownership is divided amongst the men of a family.[ref]https://wrm.org.uy/articles-from-the-wrm-bulletin/section1/women-and-property-in-cameroon-laws-and-reality/, para. 27; https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=E/C.12/CMR/CO/4&Lang=En[/ref] certain legal provisions that discriminate against women, in particular in the Civil Code, and that bar women from certain types of employment.[ref]https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=E/C.12/CMR/CO/4&Lang=En[/ref]

Discrimination

Rights organizations report significant stigma, violence, and discrimination towards LGBTI+ individuals from their families, communities, and the government.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cameroon/[/ref] Reports indicate security forces harass persons on the basis of their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity, including individuals found with condoms and lubricants.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/cameroon/[/ref]

Consensual same-sex sexual activity between adults is illegal and punishable by a prison sentence lasting between six months and five years.[ref]https://www.upr-info.org/sites/default/files/document/cameroon/session_30_-_may_2018/a_hrc_wg.6_30_cmr_3_e.pdf, para. 8; https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/cameroon/[/ref]

Section 242 forbids exclusion “from any place open to the public or from any employment, by reason of his race, religion, sex or health status”.[ref]https://www.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/laws/en/cm/cm014en.pdf[/ref] However no legal text explicitly prohibit Legal Discrimination against LGBTI+ persons, which is problematic in housing, employment, nationality, and access to government services such as healthcare.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/cameroon/[/ref]

On 24 February 2021, the police raided the office an HIV prevention and treatment organization and arrested 13 people on homosexuality charges, including 7 of the staff. All were released a few days later. Reports show that the police assaulted three of the staff and threatened and verbally assaulted all those arrested.[ref]https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/04/14/cameroon-wave-arrests-abuse-against-lgbt-people[/ref] Human Rights Watch (HRW) previously documented that prosecutors in Cameroon have introduced medical reports based on forced anal exams into court, contributing to convictions of individuals charged with consensual homosexual conduct.[ref]https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/07/12/dignity-debased/forced-anal-examinations-homosexuality-prosecutions[/ref]

Article 347 of the Penal Code states that “Whoever has sexual relations with a person of the same sex shall be punished with imprisonment for from 6 (six) months to 5 (five) years and a fine of from CFAF 20 000 (twenty thousand) to CFAF 200 000 (two hundred thousand).”[ref]https://www.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/laws/en/cm/cm014en.pdf[/ref]

Freedom of expression, advocacy of humanist values

Blasphemy

Cameroon criminalizes contempt of religion under Section 241 of the Penal Code.[ref]https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/files/live/Cameroon/Cameroon%20-%20Penal%20Code.pdf[/ref] Such offenses are punishable by a fine and up to one year in prison.

Section 241: Contempt of Race or Religion (1) Whoever commits a contempt, within the meaning of section 152 of this Code, of the race or religion of a number of citizens or residents shall be punished with imprisonment for from 6 days to 6 months and with a fine of from CFAF 5,000 (five thousand) to 500,000 CFA francs. (2) Where the offense is committed by means of the press or wireless the fine may extend to 20,000,000 CFA francs. (3) Where the offense is committed with intent to arouse hatred or contempt between citizens, the penalties provided by the foregoing subsections should be doubled.

Under Section 152 of the Penal Code, a “contempt” is defined as:

A contempt shall mean any defamation, abuse or threat conveyed by gesture, word or cry uttered in any place open to the public, or by any procedure intended to reach the public

No cases have been found by researchers.

Media freedom

According to RSF, press freedom continues to decline in Cameroon, which is now one of Africa’s most dangerous countries for journalists.[ref]https://rsf.org/en/cameroon[/ref] Reporters are often detained arbitrarily and prosecuted, including by military tribunals and special courts using the 2014 Terrorism Law.[ref]https://rsf.org/en/cameroon[/ref]

Journalists report practicing self-censorship to avoid repercussions, including financial repercussions, for criticizing or contradicting the government, in addition to fear of reprisal from non-state actors.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/cameroon/[/ref]

Defamation remains a criminal offense, and the National Communications Council (CNC), a media regulatory body, persists in harassing journalists and outlets.[ref]https://freedomhouse.org/country/cameroon/freedom-world/2021[/ref]

Separatist groups in the Southwest and Northwest Regions also limit the freedom of expression. Journalists in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions are attacked by separatists because of critical reporting and their refusal to broadcast rebel propaganda.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/cameroon/[/ref]

Curtailing the operation of NGOs

Recognition of political parties, NGOs, and associations is complicated and unevenly enforced.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/cameroon/[/ref] The government has restricted the work of international NGOs, denying their staff access to the country.[ref]https://freedomhouse.org/country/cameroon/freedom-world/2021[/ref]

Government officials harassed local NGOs, limited access to prisoners, refused to share information, and threatened violence against NGO personnel. The government has taken no action to investigate or prevent such occurrences.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/cameroon/[/ref]

Activists are also targeted by different actors, which in turn restricts the freedom of speech, assembly, and association.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/cameroon/[/ref]

The ability to organize in political groups, and their freedom to operate, is severely limited, and opposition leaders risk arrest and imprisonment. Frequent harassment, intimidation, and arrests of opposition figures hinder the opposition from consolidating. Despite the existence of hundreds of registered political parties, Cameroon remains essentially a one-party state.[ref]https://freedomhouse.org/country/cameroon/freedom-world/2021[/ref] Public criticism of the government and membership in opposition political parties can have negative consequences for professional opportunities and advancement.[ref]https://freedomhouse.org/country/cameroon/freedom-world/2021[/ref]