Cameroon: Lawyers launch five-day strike September 16

Event

The Cameroon Bar Association launched a nationwide strike on Monday, September 16, to call for the government to resume a dialogue with the organization. Lawyers throughout the country reportedly refused to appear in court on Monday, resulting in numerous hearings being postponed. The strike is scheduled to continue through Friday, September 20. Associated public demonstrations are possible in the coming days. Further disruptions to court proceedings and hearings are anticipated for the duration of the work stoppage.

Context

The Bar Council approved the strike during a meeting on August 31 and confirmed it on Sunday, September 15. Lawyers are calling for the government to continue a dialogue to address perceived violations of their rights. According to the lawyers, they are consistently denied access to clients and persons in various detention centers, trials have been conducted in a language not understood by the accused, and confessions have been signed following incidents of torture and inducement.

Advice

Individuals in Cameroon are advised to monitor developments to the situation and avoid all protests or large gatherings due to the risk of associated violence.