On July 9, in an interview with a French newspaper about her relationship with another woman, Brenda Biya, 27, daughter of Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, called for the decriminalization of consensual same-sex conduct in her country.
Biya’s coming out is courageous since Cameroon’s penal code punishes same-sex conduct with up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 200,000 CFA francs (US$330). Arbitrary arrests, physical and verbal assaults, and torture of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, or those perceived as such, are commonplace in Cameroon and appear to be on the rise.
Brenda Biya is a problematic human rights advocate.
Numerous rights violations have occurred under her father’s rule, such as the imprisonment of political leaders, murders and disappearances in the country’s Southwest and Northwest regions, as well as corruption, including graft.
Nevertheless, Biya’s statement may help shift the narrative in a notoriously harsh environment for LGBT people. In May 2021, two Cameroonian transgender women were sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in a male prison for “attempted homosexuality” and “public indecency.” Upon arrest, gendarmes beat them, threatened to kill them, interrogated them without their lawyers present, and forced them to sign statements.
Despite growing mobilization of LGBT people in Cameroon advocating for their rights, many told Human Rights Watch they continue to live in constant fear of being attacked or arrested. They said that to escape persecution, often the only solution is to flee and seek asylum in other countries. Most of LGBT migrants also experience multiple discriminations, including racism and xenophobic violence.
Brenda Biya, who lives outside of Cameroon, is in a privileged position and not in immediate danger for coming out. Yet her recent statements on the criminalization of same-sex conduct are valid and should be heard. In the wake of the interview, an anti-LGBT group in Cameroon has filed a criminal complaint against Biya.
Brenda Biya could now consider speaking out on the other serious rights violations that have and continue to occur under her father’s 42-year-long rule. Cameroonian lawmakers should urgently repeal the discriminatory provisions in the penal code and act in accordance with the constitution and international conventions to guarantee equal rights and justice for all people.
