On 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))

The European Parliament,

- having regard to Rule 150(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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.