What changed

European Parliament resolution on the prosecution of journalists in Cameroon, notably the cases of Amadou Vamoulké, Kingsley Fomunyuy Njoka, Mancho Bibixy, Thomas Awah Junior and Tsi Conrad

B100236/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on Prosecution of journalists in Cameroon, notably the cases of Amadou Vamoulké, Kingsley Fomunyuy Njoka, Mancho Bibixy, Thomas Awah Junior and Tsi Conrad

(2025/2627(RSP))

–- having regard to RulesRule 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas press freedom in Cameroon is deteriorating; whereas the Cameroonian Constitution recognises freedom of expression and fundamental rights; whereas journalists are routinely detained, attacked, censored, and imprisoned on anti-state, criminal defamation, ‘fake news’, and retaliatory charges while reporting on the crisis in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions;

whereas Amadou Vamoulké (Cameroon Radio and Television) has been detained since July 29, 2016 for alleged embezzlement and appeared in court more than 140 times before being sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2022 and an additional 20 years in 2024;

B. whereas Cameroon uses lengthy pre-trial and arbitrary detention; whereas journalists have been held incommunicado and convictions are handed down by military courts, among other serious violations of fair trial and due process rights;

whereas Kingsley Fomunyuy Njoka (Freelance) has been detained since May 15, 2020 and sentenced by a military tribunal to 10 years in jail on September 24, 2024, more than four years after his arrest and two years of awaiting trial, now convicted of secession and complicity in the activities of an armed group and ordered to pay 500,000 CFA francs ($823) in damages and 86,000 CFA ($142) in court costs;

C. whereas the UN Committee against Torture, Freedom House and the Committee to Protect Journalists recently reported that Cameroon’s police, gendarmes and other government agents have arrested, detained, physically attacked and intimidated journalists and that, once detained, journalists are often ill-treated, tortured and killed;

whereas Mancho Bibixy (Abakwa FM) has been detained since January 17, 2017 and sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2018 on multiple charges including secession, insurrection, and spreading false information. In 2019, Bibixy was sentenced to an additional two years, after protesting poor prison conditions;

D. whereas Tsi Conrad, Mancho Bibixy, Kingsley Fomunyuy Njoka and Thomas Awah Junior are journalists who reported on the situation in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, including on abuses perpetrated during the armed conflict and ongoing civil unrest; whereas Amadou Vamoulké, a journalist in poor health, was sentenced to 32 years in prison for his independent management of the state broadcaster;

whereas Thomas Awah Junior Aghem Messenger (Afrik2 Radio) has been detained since January 2, 2017 and sentenced in 2018 to serve an 11-year sentence on multiple charges that include secession, insurrection, and spreading false information. In 2019, Awah was sentenced to an additional three years after protesting poor prison conditions;

E. whereas the journalists Martinez Zogo, Jean-Jacques Ola Bebe, Samuel Wazizi and Anye Nde Nsoh were killed between August 2019 and May 2023, and serious questions about accountability remain unanswered;

whereas Tsi Conrad (Freelance) has been detained since December 8, 2016 and sentenced in 2018 to serve 15 years on multiple charges, including secession, hostility against the state, and spreading false news. In 2019, Conrad was sentenced to an additional 18 months, after protesting poor prison conditions;

F. whereas the EU is Cameroon’s leading trade partner;

whereas the UN Committee against Torture, the US Department of State, Freedom House and the Committee to Protect Journalists, have recently reported that Cameroon's police, gendarmes and other government agents have arrested, detained, physically attacked, and intimidated journalists and that once detained, journalists are often being ill-treated, tortured and killed;

1. Condemns the structural violations of journalists’ human rights by the Cameroonian authorities, calls on those authorities to ensure that press freedom is respected, particularly in the run-up to Cameroon’s 2025 presidential elections, and urges them to immediately and unconditionally release Amadou Vamoulké, Kingsley Fomunyuy Njoka, Mancho Bibixy, Thomas Awah Junior and Tsi Conrad and ensure, in the meantime, that their basic rights are upheld and that they have access to medical treatment;

whereas between January and May 2023, the journalist Martinez Zogo, Jean-Jacques Ola Bebe and Anye Nde Nsoh were killed and many questions remain unanswered;

2. Calls for the EU and the Member States to raise cases of detained journalists with the Cameroonian authorities; calls for the EU to use its diplomatic and economic leverage to achieve tangible improvements in human rights in Cameroon;

Calls on the Cameroonian authorities to ensure that journalists can report without intimidation, harassment or detention, particularly in the run-up to Cameroon’s 2025 presidential elections and urges the Cameroonian authorities to respect freedom of expression and media freedom, guarantee imprisoned journalists, in particular Amadou Vamoulké, Kingsley Fomunyuy Njoka, Mancho Bibixy, Thomas Awah Junior, Tsi Conrad, a fair trial with all due process guarantees, secure their immediate provisional release;

3. Urges the Commission, the EEAS and the Member States’ diplomatic missions to actively respond to restrictions against journalists, including by ensuring comprehensive observation of trials, visiting journalists in detention and maintaining active contact with marginalised or at-risk journalists and with their families and colleagues;

Calls for the EU and its Member States to raise with the Cameroonian authorities the cases of detained journalists; calls for the EU to use its leverage towards concrete improvements in the human rights situation in Cameroon;

4. Urges the Cameroonian authorities to end their practice of trying civilians in military courts, which does not comply with international law, and to stop abusively invoking terrorism, anti-state and ‘fake news’ charges in cases against journalists;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the Government and Parliament of Cameroon.

5. Reiterates its call on the Member States to support a UN Human Rights Council fact-finding mission to Cameroon, particularly in light of the conflict in the North-West and South-West Regions;

6. Calls on the Member States to facilitate humanitarian visa applications for Cameroonian journalists at risk of persecution;

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR and the President, Government and Parliament of Cameroon.