Cameroon: MRC Protesters Face Harsh Sentences, Refugee Ramon Cotta Tortured

These actions reflect acts of revenge more than good justice. They reveal, in broad daylight, a system of repression that prioritizes maintaining the established order above all else, at any cost. The perceived "enemy" to be eradicated has become limitless—attacks are made indiscriminately, from the harmless cricket to the mighty elephant. Everyone is under lock and key.

The past, often disguised and manipulated, is being used as a tool to subjugate those it targets, even though that past has never truly gone away. The real challenges faced by exiles, who have rebuilt their lives away from the prying eyes of a security-obsessed system, are ignored. This is compounded by ill-conducted investigations, mistreatment, humiliation, and torture.

November 21, 2024:

1. At the Court of Appeal of the Littoral in Douala:

The public prosecutor has requested the confirmation of heavy sentences handed down by the Douala Military Tribunal against Ngeussan Dorgelesse and other victims of the crackdown on the peaceful MRC protests of September 22, 2020. These individuals, who are innocent of any connection to weapons and were unable to even cross a simple unarmed police patrol, are accused of being involved in a revolution, effectively charged with attempting a coup. Lawyer Me Fabien Kengne, representing the defense, pleads the illegality of the charges and emphasizes their ridiculousness for the Republic. The case has been deferred for judgment to be delivered on December 19, 2024.

The question remains: Will there be any form of Christmas reprieve for the MRC detainees during this time of "real and false" orders from high-ranking officials?

2. Meanwhile, in Yaoundé, at the Military Tribunal:

The interrogation of Ramon Cotta, kidnapped in Libreville where he had built a new life as a de facto exile, was abruptly and brutally interrupted by coup plotters who fear a revolution even from the mere flutter of a butterfly. This is why he was denied any extradition hearing in Libreville. Ramon Cotta has endured 74 days of incommunicado detention, subjected to physical abuse, with nerve damage, partial paralysis, and visual disturbances evident since October 9, 2024.

An interrogation summons was issued for November 21, 2024, at 9:00 AM. However, until 10:30 AM, his lawyers and other members of the legal team were waiting, with no action taken to extract him from Yaoundé’s Kondengui Central Prison. The extraction order was delayed. It wasn’t until 11:30 AM, under emergency procedures, that he was escorted to the Military Tribunal in Yaoundé.

Ramon Cotta, having been kidnapped in Libreville and sent to Yaoundé without extradition proceedings, was found wearing only undergarments, a T-shirt, carrying 27,000 CFA francs and a mobile phone. According to the authorities, these are the belongings of a so-called "terrorist." These are presented as the tools of someone who allegedly plans to overthrow the institutions and government of Yaoundé from Libreville. This is described as the wealth of a person financing terrorism and seeking to buy weapons. In reality, Cotta possessed no more than a few meager personal items, entirely disproving the ridiculous charges against him.

Can someone with such equipment possibly pass a simple unarmed police patrol? Can someone carrying only 27,000 CFA francs from Libreville reach Yaoundé? Could he even afford to buy any rifles?

Ramon Cotta claims his status as a refugee and insists on answering all the charges against him before Gabonese judicial authorities.