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| Title | World Report - Cameroon |
| Publisher | Reporters Without Borders |
| Country | Cameroon |
| Publication Date | January 2010 |
| Cite as | Reporters Without Borders, World Report - Cameroon, January 2010, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4d59463bc.html [accessed 28 May 2012] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
World Report - Cameroon
- Area: 475,440 sq km
- Population: 18,467,692
- Language: French, English
- Head of state: President Paul Biya, since 1982
Press freedom has much improved in recent years and journalists are no longer harshly persecuted. However they are still targets of over-zealous police and military, corrupt judges and score-settling between politicians.
Cameroon's media appears outspoken but those journalists who bravely try to get round the country's social communication law come under pressure. Although administrative and official censorship was abolished about 15 years ago, media offences are still heavily-punished crimes and a libellous article can still send its author or publisher to prison, as in the case of Lewis Medjo (of La Détente Libre), who has been in Douala prison since September 2008 serving a three-year sentence after being found guilty of "spreading false news".
A dozen journalists were legally harassed between 2007 and 2009 for their reporting. Though the government has eased the pressure a little to improve its image with aid donors, it still aggressively monitors the media, which cannot freely discuss numerous topics, especially the army, corruption and secessionist activity in the English-speaking part of the country.
As in other African countries, poverty and other economic problems corrupt the media in Cameroon and make it easy to manipulate, and some media owners have been guilty of abuses. A scandal about homosexuals in 2006 seriously divided the media, when several small newspapers printed a list of prominent "perverts" they said had obtained official posts through favouritism, in a country where homosexuality is a crime. But the evidence presented amounted to rumours and wild accusations.
Media freedom in Cameroun is thus fragile and vigilance is required. The government will probably put new pressure on the media as the 2011 presidential election approaches.
Updated : January 2010
Topics: Freedom of information, Freedom of expression,
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