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Jail term for Cameroon gay
libel
03 Mar 2006-
A Cameroon newspaper editor has been sentenced to four months in jail
and ordered to pay a fine for defaming a minister by saying he was gay.
Jean Pierre Amougou Belinga must pay
1m CFA francs ($1,800) to the state and a symbolic franc to Minister for
Parliamentary Affairs Gregoire Owona. He was one of 50 leading figures
on a list published by L'Anecdote newspaper. Homosexual acts are banned
in Cameroon, with up to five years in jail. Hundreds of anti-gay
protesters were at court.
But the BBC's Randy Joe Sa'ah in
Yaounde says the crowds were smaller than on other days of the trial.
Like much of Africa, Cameroon is a conservative society, where
homosexuality is frowned upon. But our correspondent says it is an open
secret that homosexuality is alive in the country and that the law
banning homosexual acts is rarely used.
Mr Belinga was not in court but a
warrant was not made for his arrest. He was also ordered to publish the
judgement in 15 local and international media. The judge said he had
failed to prove that Mr Owona had had homosexual relations. Mr Belinga
had supplied the court with the name of the minister's alleged gay
partner but had not produced him in court. Mr Belinga's lawyer said he
would appeal against the verdict.
Other newspapers joined in the
campaign to "out" homosexuals, which proved very popular and sparked a
national debate about gay rights and privacy. One newspaper had to have
extra print runs. Last year, lobby group Human Rights Watch condemned
the practice of forced anal examinations of those arrested on charges of
having gay sex.
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