A Cameroon judge has overturned the conviction of two men who were found guilty of homosexuality and sentenced for five years in prison for “looking gay” and ordering Bailey’s Irish coffee.
The two men were convicted in November 2011 and had already spent a year in prison where they were subjected to abuse from the prison guards and other prisoners, according to human rights advocates. The court of appeals on Monday acquitted the two men and ordered their release, the National Post reports.
President Paul Biya was urged by human rights lawyers and gay rights advocates to release all other prisoners found guilty under the country’s harsh anti-gay laws.
On December 17, the same appeal court upheld the three-year jail term of 32-year-old Jean-Claude Roger Mbede, found guilty of homosexual conduct because he sent a text message to another man saying: "I'm very much in love with you."
Homosexuality is illegal in many African countries. In Cameroon, the penalties range from six months to five years in jail. In 2011, there were 12 convictions.
10 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.thorneel | May 05, 2013, 04:11 PM EDT
An honest mistake, forgive and forget I say.
hunter933 | May 01, 2013, 09:51 AM EDT
Banning Bailey’s Irish coffee is the answer.
STEVENSTAR | Mar 21, 2013, 09:30 PM EDT
@@misswhisp | Mar 15, 2013, 11:32 PM EDT >>>>>WHAT A FILTHY DIRTY MIND YOU MUST HAVE..YOU DREADFUL WOMAN ..WHAT WAS THAT YOU SAID ABOUT..ITS WHAT HE HAS INSIDE ?? THAT COUNTS ....OU U DIRTY COW.. HAHA!!!
mreinhar2001 | Feb 11, 2013, 06:42 PM EST
STEVENSTAR: It IS called "Irish Central" after all. Perhaps if was called "Us News" then there would be articles about America. Oh wait. There already is such a magazine and that is what they write about.
mreinhar2001 | Feb 11, 2013, 06:40 PM EST
Putting this in Irish news is a greater stretch than was the article about the family with the lastname of "Ireland." Here they just ordered a liquor made in Ireland to make it into Irish news. Hmmm...
AlunPalmer | Feb 04, 2013, 05:22 PM EST
In Saudi they'd only give you a public flogging for ordering Irish coffee, not 5 years, and I thought the Suadis were backward!
STEVENSTAR | Jan 23, 2013, 09:41 AM EST
THIS NEWS PAPER IS NOT ONLY OBSESSED WITH US IRISH PEOPLE ITS ALSO OBSESSED WITH GAY PEOPLE...DONT YOU HAVE ANYTHING BETTER TO WRITE ABOUT OVER THERE IN AMERICA? LIKE YOUR CRAZY GUN LAWS PERHAPS ?
seamus60 | Jan 10, 2013, 11:23 AM EST
Its a wonder those Cameroon players are allowed to jiggle their rear ends when scoring a goal.
WoundedKnee | Jan 09, 2013, 01:47 PM EST
There's lots more like that crazy judge among the African migrants who are filling Ireland. I was just reading of some African jerk who raped his daughter and then got a witchdoctor to make her drink an abortion potion. Was this in Dahomey or Kinshasha or Upper Volta? No, it was in West Dublin. Ireland is really being culturally enriched!
johnshiel | Jan 09, 2013, 11:27 AM EST
this story lends some perspective to our eextreme sensitivity to the sacred cows of political correctness...