Ordre des Avocats au Barreau du Cameroun Conseil de l'Ordre
Cameroon Bar Association Bar Council
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Le Bâtonnier de l'Ordre The Bar President
COMMUNIQUE
CONCERNING THE ARBITRARY ARREST, UNWARRANTED DETENTION, AND TORTURE OF BARRISTER KENGNÉ FABIEN ON MAY 29, 2023, IN DOUALA, BY MILITARY SECURITY AGENTS
The President of the Cameroon Bar Association hereby conveys to the attention of the general public that, on May 29, 2023, at approximately 9:30 p.m., Barrister KENGNE Fabien Esq., a member of the Cameroon Bar Association with professional residence in Douala, was abducted by agents of the Military Security Service (SEMIL) in front of the Equinoxe TV building in Douala.
Duly informed, the Bar President's Deputy Representative for the Littoral Region immediately went to SEMIL. The SEMIL officers on duty, while acknowledging that our colleague was indeed inside their premises, refused to grant him access to the detainee. His request for a meeting with the head of that unit was also unattended or unheeded.
Having thus been turned away, the Bar President's Deputy Representative tried unsuccessfully to inform the Governor of the Littoral Region and the Judicial Authorities in a bid to advise them on the situation, which risked provoking a disturbance of the public peace as many lawyers were already heading to the premises of that SEMIL unit.
A few moments later, the Bar President's Representative for the Littoral Region learned that SEMIL agents had gone to drop off Barrister KENGNE at the place where he had been abducted. It should be noted
that during his detention at the SEMIL premises, Barrister KENGNE Fabien was subjected to a harsh interrogation without legal assistance after being forced to undress himself, with his cellphone and watch taken away from him as well.
Shocked and outraged, the President of the Cameroon Bar Association strongly denounces and condemns this illegal and villainous act, unworthy of a state governed by the rule of law and perpetrated against a citizen who happens to be a lawyer.
The Bar President stands in full solidarity with Barrister KENGNE Fabien and cautions the authorities concerned of the consequences such acts could have on public order and social peace. The unwarranted arbitrary arrest of a lawyer is clearly incomprehensible, given that he can, at any time, comply with any summons or be represented by the relevant authorities of the Bar.
The Bar President also notes, with regret, that these violations of public rights and liberties are becoming frequent in a context where the Laws and Regulations of the Republic, in force, meticulously prescribe the rights and prerogatives of both citizens and law enforcement officers and forces within the exercise of their roles.