Cameroonian lawyer risks everything to defend gay rights

Despite being defamed, threatened and publicly humiliated, veteran Cameroonian lawyer Alice Nkom is determined to support gay rights In her country.

The human rights NGO she runs, Redhac, was recently suspended by the government and is due to appear before investigators to answer charges of money laundering and financing terrorist groups – which she denies.

The 80-year-old says authorities are obstructing her work and believes she is being targeted because of her legal advocacy for the LGBT community.

She told the BBC in a firm tone, in her office in the city of Douala: “I will always defend homosexuals because they risk their freedom every day, and they are thrown in prison like dogs.”

“My job is to defend people. I don't understand why I say I defend everyone except homosexuals.”

Dressed in a black dress, Ms. Nkum delivers her stark message in a measured voice that reflects years of thoughtful legal arguments.

According to the country's penal code, both men and women convicted of gay sex can be sentenced to up to five years in prison and forced to pay a fine. Members of the LGBT community also face ostracism by their families and wider society.

As a result, Ms Nkom is seen as a surrogate mother to some in her country who have been open about their sexuality with their families.

The legal expert has children, but hundreds, perhaps thousands, of others look to her as their protector, after working for more than two decades defending those accused of homosexuality.

“She is like our father and mother. She is the mother we find when our families abandon us,” says LGBT activist Sebastian, a pseudonym.

In keeping with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is included in Cameroon's Constitution, Ms. Nkom says freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation should be seen as a fundamental right that replaces the penal code.

“Fundamental rights should not be imprisoned, you should not suppress them, you should protect them,” she says.

It is this struggle that has landed Ms. Nkom in difficulties.

She says she was physically threatened several times on the street, and reveals that when she first started working in this legal field, she hired bodyguards to help protect her.

But her journey to becoming one of Cameroon's most outspoken legal figures began long before that.

In 1969, when she was 24, she became the country's first black female lawyer, after studying in both France – the former colonial power – and Cameroon.

She says she was encouraged to continue her studies by her then-boyfriend, who later became her husband.

Her previous legal work involved representing the less well-off and disadvantaged, but a chance encounter in 2003 led her to get involved in the fight to decriminalize homosexuality.

She was in the prosecutor's office in Douala when she noticed a group of young men with their hands tied, and who did not have the courage to look up.

“When I checked the court docket, I realized they were being tried for homosexuality,” she says.

This offended her sense of human rights and she was very clear that sexual minorities should be included among those whose rights are protected by the Constitution.

“I decided to fight to ensure that this fundamental right to freedom is respected,” Ms. Nkom adds.

She founded the Association for the Defense of Homosexuality (Adefho) in 2003.

Since then, she has been involved in dozens of cases. One of the most notable events in recent years is her defense of transgender celebrities Shakiro and her friend Patricia in 2021.

The two were arrested while eating in a restaurant and then charged with “attempted homosexuality.”

They were sentenced to five years in prison on charges of violating the penal code and outraging public modesty.

“It is a hammer blow,” Ms. Nkom was quoted as saying at the time. “It is the maximum period stipulated in the law. The message is clear: homosexuals have no place in Cameroon.”

Shakiro and Patricia were later released pending appeal and have since fled the country.

Since then the situation for gay people has not improved. Gay activist Sebastian, who runs a charity to support families with gay children, feels things have become worse recently.

Last year, a song based on the popular bulé rhythm was released with a title and lyrics encouraging people to target and kill homosexuals. This game is still widely shared, and is regularly played in trendy venues in the country's major cities.

“People are attacking us because of this song that glorifies crime,” says Sebastian.

He adds that gay people have to hide their sexual identities, but “some people set traps for us to get close to us and attack us or report us to the police.”

Ms Nkom says that when Brenda Biya, the daughter of President Paul Biya, came out publicly to say she was gay last year, she thought changing the law might help.

Ms. Biya – who spends most of her time outside Cameroon – was like that She was quoted as saying that she hopes her openness will change things at home.

Ms. Nkom senses an opportunity. “I'm using Brenda's case as a precedent,” she says. “And now I have a case where I can challenge the president.”

The lawyer also asked Ms Biya to do more for the cause of the LGBT community in Cameroon.

“Brenda hasn't responded to me yet since I made the statement to the media, but I know she will.”

But for now, she will continue her legal work.

It views the latest attempt to constrain its efforts as just another obstacle – and certainly not enough to achieve it Make her stop the battle she's been fighting since 2003.