Roger Jean-Claude Mbédé has died in Cameroon a country where it is illegal to be gay.
Roger had been sentenced to three years in prison because he sent another man an SMS that said “I’m very much in love w/u” and he died after developing a hernia in prison.
Alice Nkom, a lawyer who worked on his case, said he died on Friday, January 10, after his relatives removed him from the hospital where he had been seeking treatment. Alice said: “His family said he was a curse for them and that we should let him die.”
Amnesty International declared Roger a ‘prisoner of conscience’ and human rights activists are calling for an inquiry into his death.
Alice added: “If there had not been criminalisation of homosexuality, he would not have gone to prison and his life would not be over. His life was finished as soon as he went to prison.”
Roger was arrested in 2011 and convicted a month later under a Cameroonian law that imposes up to five years in prison for homosexual acts. Cameroon brings more cases against suspected homosexuals than any other African country according to the Human Rights Watch who described Roger as ‘a courageous man who became an accidental activist’ after his arrest.
Roger said he spoke out against Cameroon’s anti-gay law so that other lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) people in Cameroon would not have to face what he did.
The campaigning website All Out have created an online ‘virtual vigil’ to honour Roger’s memory, which calls for an end to the anti-gay laws that are destroying lives?
Its message to all World Leaders, reads: “In memory of all those who have died fighting hate and discrimination, we call on you to end all laws that make it a crime to be gay.”
To sign CLICK HERE:
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