Cameroon frees activist detained for ‘insulting’ authority

Cameroonian authorities have freed an activist arrested and detained after posting a video on Tiktok advocating for democratic change in the country, ahead of next year’s presidential elections, his lawyers said.

Barrister Akere Muna, lead counsel for the activist, told the media in Yaounde on Wednesday that the activist had been granted bail.

“We signed the bail agreement obligating us to ensure his appearance (in court),” Muna said. “He has not been charged yet. After the investigation, authorities may decide to either drop the case or press charges.”

Junior Ngombe, 23, a hairdresser and social media influencer, with more than 12,000 followers on TikTok, was arrested in the country’s largest city, Douala, on Wednesday, July 24. He was then whisked to the Gendarmerie headquarters, also known as the State Defence Secretariat (SED) in the capital Yaounde, where he was being detained.

But the move also attracted an outpouring of criticisms with rights advocates describing it as a crackdown on dissent and freedom of expression by the government of President Paul Biya’s country.

Human Rights Watch said Cameroon has increasingly restricted freedoms of expression and association as presidential elections approach.

Ngombe was first taken to a gendarmerie post in Douala before being transferred the following day to the State Defense Secretariat; a gendarmerie-run detention facility in Yaounde where the group said it “has previously documented widespread use of torture.”

“Cameroonian authorities should listen to peaceful demands for reform instead of stifling freedom of expression,” HRW said in a statement on Monday.

In several TikTok videos, Ngombe encouraged people to register to vote for the February 2025 presidential elections, advocated for democratic change, and questioned authorities’ intolerance of criticism.

In one of the videos, he expresses regrets that even if Cameroonian youths register massively ahead of next year’s presidential elections, the system will still steal their votes.

“I know many of you have not yet registered for the presidential elections -- no worries, I know you will do,” the youth says in French.

“I have already enrolled on the electoral list, but I know that, even if millions of us register massively, the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM… will still do everything possible to win.

Ilaria Allegrozzi, Senior Sahel Researcher at Human Rights Watch said the activist’s release is good news for Cameroon, but urged that all charges against Ngombe should now be dropped.

“His place is not in prison,” she tweeted. “He should have never been arrested in the first place”.

The arrest of the young activist comes days after authorities warned against the use of irreverent or offensive language against President Biya.

The warning by Rene Emmanuel Sadi, the Minister for Communication and Government Spokesperson, came in the wake of heavy criticism of the 91-year-old president’s move to extend his four-decade rule after his current mandate expires next year.