Cameroun: l'opposant en exil Issa Tchiroma Bakary porte plainte en France contre Paul Biya
Cameroonian opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary announced on Friday that he had filed two complaints with the Paris judicial court, invoking the principle of universal jurisdiction, to denounce the repression of protesters against the presidential election of October 12, 2025, which he claims to have won, despite the election of Paul Biya, who has been in power since 1982.
In a statement posted Friday evening, Mr. Tchiroma, who presents himself as the "elected president of the Republic of Cameroon", claims to have initiated this procedure in order to have accusations of murders, arbitrary detentions and other alleged human rights violations committed in the post-election context examined.
Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former minister who switched to the opposition, had mobilized a part of the youth eager for change during the last presidential election.
After declaring himself the winner of the election, he repeatedly called for his "victory" to be defended, triggering protests in major cities across the country that were brutally suppressed.
According to the document, the complaints stem from an investigation conducted since October 2025 with the assistance of lawyers, civil society actors and people presented as witnesses or victims of the events.
Mr. Tchiroma asserts that the evidence gathered would make it possible to establish responsibility for the repression of the demonstrations and protests that followed the presidential election.
The former minister, now in exile in Gambia, claims that several thousand Cameroonians are being held in various prisons across the country in conditions he describes as "illegal" and contrary to fundamental rights.
He also mentions deaths in custody, violence committed during law enforcement operations, and alleged cases of inhuman or degrading treatment.
The statement specifically cites the cases of Anicet Ekane and Souleyman Tobi, who died in prison and were presented as victims of repression.
According to him, referring the matter to the Paris judicial court is a first step in a process that could be extended to other competent international mechanisms in matters of human rights and arbitrary detention.
"Where Cameroonian justice, subservient to the usurping regime and therefore 'under orders', has necessarily failed, international justice will hear the victims," says the opposition member, who reports "obstructions" during an attempt to file a complaint in Cameroon.
The statement is accompanied by a list of political, administrative, police, and military figures cited in one of the complaints. These include Cameroonian President Paul Biya, Secretary General of the Presidency Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji, Minister Delegate to the Presidency in charge of Defense Joseph Beti Assomo, as well as several other high-ranking officials.
No individual or Cameroonian authorities cited had reacted by Saturday afternoon.
AFP
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